After protesters said no big fish had been caught in the flood control scandal, the Palace pointed to cases filed, senators on trial, frozen assets and 112 blacklisted firms, while the public debates the correct weight of a big fish
A Question Of Size
MALACANANG. The Palace has rejected claims that no big fish have been caught in the flood control scandal, according to The Philippine Star’s report on the Palace’s response. Speaking after a White Ribbon March on EDSA, Palace press officer Claire Castro suggested critics look at the updates on the investigations conducted by the administration rather than claiming the government had done nothing. She pointed to cases filed, two senators on trial over questionable projects, frozen assets and the revocation of licences of nine firms linked to the Discaya family. Government Procurement Policy Board data showed 112 firms blacklisted, 12 of them in public works.
The exchange has prompted a national debate on a question that has occupied Filipino fishermen, politicians and satirists for generations: exactly how big does a fish have to be?
The Ichthyology Of Accountability
Marine biologists, consulted on the question, said fish size is relative. A big fish in a small pond may be a small fish in a big pond, one explained, and in Philippine politics, it is often unclear which pond you are in. Some fish swim in the House of Representatives. Some swim in the Senate. Some swim in contractor offices. Some swim to other countries. Measuring them requires patience and a very large net.
Political analysts have offered a classification system. Small fish include junior engineers and minor officials. Medium fish include senior bureaucrats and contractors. Big fish include powerful politicians. Whales, analysts note, are rarely caught, usually because they own the boats.
The Catch So Far
According to the Star’s report, Senator Jinggoy Estrada was arrested after surrendering over a non-bailable plunder case involving alleged flood control kickbacks of 573 million pesos, allegations he denies. Former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan, his co-accused, is under hospital arrest due to health concerns, and Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said his office was seeking to drop charges against Bonoan so he could serve as a state witness. Several former and current district engineers have also been charged. Remulla said charges against a so-called cong-tractor, a lawmaker allegedly acting as a government contractor, would soon be filed, with eight other House members under preliminary investigation.
Supporters of the administration say the list proves serious action. Critics say they will believe it when convictions arrive and the money is returned. Both sides agree on one thing: the word cong-tractor is the greatest addition to the Philippine political vocabulary in years.
The Cong-Tractor Phenomenon
The term, combining congressman and contractor, describes a figure that Filipinos have long suspected exists: a lawmaker who approves public works budgets while also, allegedly, benefiting from the contracts. Linguists have praised the word for its efficiency. A political science professor in Diliman said it was a perfect example of Filipino wit. In one word, he said, you have the whole problem. We should export it. Every country needs a word like this. Most countries need it more than they realize.
The Public Mood
The White Ribbon March on EDSA was part of a wave of protests over the scandal, drawing citizens who want accountability for projects that left communities flooded while money vanished. For many Filipinos, the scandal is not abstract. It is the water in their kitchens during typhoon season, the drainage that never worked and the seawall that existed only on paper.
A protester from Valenzuela, holding a white ribbon and a hand-painted sign, said she was not interested in the size of the fish. I do not care if it is big, small or medium, she said. I care if it is cooked. Meaning convicted. Meaning the money comes back. Meaning my street does not flood. Then we can talk about fish.
The Discaya family, whose linked firms had licences revoked, became household names during the scandal, partly through reports of luxury vehicles that turned a corruption story into a car show. Filipinos have followed the cases with the attention usually given to teleseryes, complete with heroes, villains, plot twists and cliffhangers at the end of every Senate hearing.
The Waiting Game
Philippine corruption cases have a reputation for moving slowly through the courts, sometimes for years or decades, with outcomes that disappoint the public. Previous scandals have produced high-profile arrests followed by long trials, acquittals, plea deals or simple fading from public memory. That history explains much of the scepticism. Filipinos have seen fish caught before. They have also seen fish released, sometimes with a parade.
A Fisherman’s View
In a coastal town in Bataan, a fisherman who has spent forty years on the water was asked for his professional opinion on the debate. When you go fishing, he said, you do not announce it on the radio. Otherwise the big fish swim away. They have been announcing this fishing expedition for a year. So the big fish have had a year to swim. He shrugged. Maybe they will catch them anyway. Sometimes the big fish are slow. Sometimes they are greedy and come back for more bait.
The Last Word
The investigations continue, the cases proceed and the debate over fish sizes rages on in coffee shops, jeepneys and online forums across the country. The Palace says a lot more will happen. Citizens say they are watching. And somewhere in the vast ocean of Philippine politics, the biggest fish of all are presumably swimming very quietly, hoping nobody brings a bigger net.