Foxes Form Henhouse Security Committee: Congress Proudly Announces Self-Investigation into Chicken Massacre

Next Year’s Solution to This Year’s Plunder: Because Urgency is for Amateurs

By Louis “Barok” C. Biraogo — December 29, 2027

MGA ka-kweba, the floodwaters have barely receded from the 2025 storms, yet here we are drowning in a man-made deluge of corruption. Billions in flood control funds vanished into “ghost projects”—421 non-existent structures out of 8,000 inspected, courtesy of contractors like St. Timothy and Sunwest, linked to politicians who allocate the budgets they later plunder. And now, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III trots out his grand solution: the Independent People’s Commission (IPC). A “stronger” body with contempt powers and asset-freezing teeth. How noble. How timely. How utterly laughable.

**“Public told to ‘trust the process’—the same process that direct-deposits their taxes into fox dens.”**

A Maneuver Masquerading as Reform

Let’s dissect this proposal, shall we? Sotto announces the IPC just as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) crumbles—with commissioners like Rossana Fajardo and Rogelio Singson resigning, leaving it to limp toward final referrals to the Ombudsman. Perfect timing: the scandal explodes in 2025, implicating senators like Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, former reps like Zaldy Co (now fleeing justice), and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials dropping like flies.

But wait—Congress must first ratify the P6.793-trillion 2026 budget on December 29. The same budget riddled with potential insertions, the very machinery that birthed these ghost projects. Sotto shrugs: “It may be passed next year.” Next year? While communities still suffer from floods worsened by stolen dikes and drains? This isn’t urgency; it’s a classic delay tactic—a shiny bureaucratic bauble dangled to distract from the glaring truth: prosecute now.

Foxes Auditing the Henhouse: The Mother of All Conflicts

Ah, the core absurdity: lawmakers, many of whom are “persons of interest” in budget insertions and kickbacks (20-30% “tongpats,” anyone?), now propose a commission to investigate… themselves and their allies. It’s like asking foxes to audit henhouse security—after they’ve feasted on the chickens.

This violates the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Article VI, Section 14: No legislator shall be “directly or indirectly… interested financially in any contract with… the Government” during their term. And Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act), Section 3: Prohibits public officers from having financial interest in government transactions. Yet here they are, allocating flood funds to favored contractors, then playing investigator. Taunt away, Tito—your IPC reeks of self-preservation.

Legal Takedown: Why Bother Inventing a Shadow When We Have the Ombudsman?

The Ombudsman, under Republic Act No. 6770 (The Ombudsman Act of 1989), already wields formidable powers: investigate, prosecute, issue subpoenas, access bank records, freeze assets. It’s constitutionally mandated (Article XI) to probe graft. Why create a redundant, politically controllable IPC? Because the existing one can’t be easily manipulated?

Recall Supreme Court precedents: In Belgica v. Ochoa (G.R. No. 208566, November 19, 2013), the Court slaughtered the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) pork barrel for allowing post-enactment legislative meddling—exactly what’s happening with these insertions. Araullo v. Aquino (G.R. No. 209287, July 1, 2014) condemned unauthorized fund transfers bypassing Congress’s appropriations power. This flood scandal is the illegitimate spawn of those outlawed practices.

And legislative contempt? Arnault v. Nazareno (G.R. No. L-3820, July 18, 1950) limits it to aid of legislation, not unlimited witch hunts or shields.

The DOJ and Ombudsman’s Pathetic “We’re Ready” Charade

Sotto himself admits: the ICI has “ample findings” for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Ombudsman to prosecute the guilty. DOJ spokesperson: “We’re ready… we’ll go where the evidence leads.” Then why the hell aren’t you going there now? ICI referrals are piling up—charge the big fish! Why invent a new commission when evidence against legislators and contractors is already gathered?

Mockery complete: these “we are ready” statements are empty posturing while impunity reigns.

Scenarios: From Farce to Earthquake

The Charade Path (Most Likely): IPC passes in 2026, holds televised “show hearings,” cites small fry engineers, absolves powerful senators and allies, then quietly fades. Public fury deflected, budget insertions continue.

The Accountability Path (Dream On): Ombudsman/DOJ ignore the distraction, file cases using ICI/Commission on Audit (COA) evidence. Sitting legislators charged—political earthquakes, resignations, arrests. Trust restored? Maybe.

Systemic Rot: Either way, public distrust festers—81% already distrust DPWH. Ghost projects cost lives (remember Storm Opong?), billions wasted, moral hazard skyrockets. Impunity breeds more corruption.

Wake Up, Philippines: Prosecute Now!

This IPC isn’t salvation; it’s a delay-and-distract scam by suspects shielding themselves. The real scandal? Constitutional bodies like the Ombudsman and DOJ refusing to act decisively.

Demand immediate action:

Ombudsman: File cases now against implicated legislators and contractors using ICI referrals. No more delays!
DOJ: Prosecute vigorously—freeze assets, issue warrants.
Media: Expose every insertion, every conflict. Name names relentlessly.
Public: Rally, protest, vote out the corrupt. Flood the streets again if needed.

No more shiny distractions, Tito. Justice delayed is justice drowned. Act now—or drown in our fury.