MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 31 December) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a huge political gamble by initiating the move that led to the exposé of graft-tainted flood control projects involving billions of taxpayers’ money. Subsequent investigations pointed to the alleged roles played by several lawmakers, high-ranking officials at the Department of Public Works and Highways, and private contractors.

Marcos, however, has so far seemed reluctant to go beyond the formality of investigations. Almost everybody is skeptical of how far the Palace-created Independent Commission for Infrastructure will go to achieve its purpose.

As for the Department of Justice, take away all the media noise, and it becomes clear that it has yet to prove that it is serious in prosecuting most of the officials tagged in the anomalous projects. So far, only two contractors and eight DPWH regional and provincial officials have been arrested and detained to face trial, although multiple lawmakers are facing complaints before the Ombudsman.

The half-hearted stance has cast doubts on the sincerity of Marcos’ anti-corruption campaign. He tried to parry the blows with the ouster of [his] cousin Rep. Martin Romualdez as House Speaker, one of those accused as having obtained a lion’s share of the flood control budget. But critics were less than impressed by the sacrifice of the President’s own blood. They wanted President Marcos Jr. to exact more pounds of flesh — including those of kin and allies in Congress.

As 2025 ends, the whole country is left wondering what the months-long spectacle of investigations and revelations will lead to in 2026. Will it see the arrest of the so-called big fishes? Or will the justice system remain content with catching the proverbial small fry?

With his ratings plunging to an all-time low, Marcos is apparently weighing his options while the nation is lulled by the holiday fanfare. But one thing he should realize by now is that the public has seen and known so much that it can no longer be placated by superficial moves.

The only way forward is decisiveness. He can usher in the new year with an auspicious start, for example, by vetoing the “porky” items in the General Appropriations Act, and pushing the prosecution of lawmakers in the flood control fiasco. The people deserve a leader who can dispense justice not a jester with a bagful of jokes.

(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at boymords@mindanews.com.)