A friend sent me this letter which reflects what I think is the widespread feeling employees paying income taxes must be feeling now:

“I’ve been an employee for all my life and I have been a good taxpayer, my income taxes withheld from the source, and always computed properly. When I finally get my Income Tax Report and see the total amount I had paid annually, I think of what the amount could have given my family. But I tell myself, that’s life, we pay taxes so our government can move to make life easier for us. But with what’s happening now – the ghost flood control projects, the apparent connivance of government employees with contractors, and the billions that have literally gone down the drain with the floodwaters, I feel not only sad, but so angry, is this where my taxes go?”

We’ve been bombarded with grim news these past few weeks — and not just about disasters caused by rain and flood. The more disturbing flood is moral in nature: a flood of dishonesty, greed, and the abandonment of basic values like honesty, integrity, and modesty.

The unearthing of substandard flood control projects had already stirred public frustration. But things worsened when the confirmation of ghost flood control projects came to light — projects that were awarded, funded, and paid for, yet were never built. The implications were staggering.

The Senate and House of Representatives are now conducting hearings, attempting to unravel the web of corruption behind these ghost projects. The hearings have brought to the surface familiar names and companies, including 15 contractors reportedly controlling a significant percentage of DPWH flood control contracts. Their influence, and the scale of their operations, are now under the microscope.

But what truly pushed public outrage into overdrive was the interview — some say a tone-deaf publicity stunt of a young couple, owners of multiple construction firms that are among the top recipients of these controversial flood control contracts. They have 30 — no, as this was immediately corrected – 40 – luxury cars. 

The “cheerful” interview lit a fire across social media. In the span of hours, memes, sarcastic reels, and digital sleuthing took over timelines. People pointed to old Instagram posts of luxury cars, designer bags, first-class vacations, and high-end lifestyles flaunted by people connected to companies included in the list of 15 contractors. Not just the owners — even their children and extended family showcased a lifestyle that seemed entirely out of sync with the supposed profits of a mid-sized construction company.

But soon after the backlash, the posts began disappearing. One by one, the photos of extravagant living vanished, as if an online cleansing would make the truth go away.

Yet, the truth stares us in the face, especially if you have been following the Senate and House of Representative hearings that questioned the owners or representatives of the companies. A young owner who was more interested in reading his phone than looking at the senators questioning him. Government people tasked to monitor projects who have never been on the ground – or failed to explain why they did not use their monitoring tools – but relied on information from documents.

There is a sickness in our society — not just the corruption in infrastructure projects, but the cultural decay that now finds validation in social media applause. Flaunting wealth, especially wealth that seems wildly disproportionate to one’s legitimate income, is not just tolerated — it’s celebrated.

What these people fail to grasp is this: Unexplained wealth is a red flag, not a badge of honor. Flaunting it in front of a public that struggles daily to make ends meet is not only insensitive — it is dangerous.

But let’s return to the issue of the ghost projects. Where was honesty when contractors submitted bids for projects they knew would never be built? Where was integrity in the government offices that approved, signed, and paid for these phantoms of concrete and steel? Most of all, where is accountability?

The Senate and House investigations must not end in headlines. They must lead to arrests, convictions, and permanent disqualifications. Because unless people are made to pay for their crimes, ghost projects — and the ghosts of our stolen taxes — will continue to haunt us. (Email: [email protected])