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The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the LMC community — students, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write.

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Civic engagement is key everywhere

Rylan Christobal, Guest Columnist

October 12, 2025

Every monsoon season, the Philippines braces for disaster. Floods cause significant economic damage to homes, agriculture and infrastructure, leading to the loss of life and displacement of people. These floods also lead to health risks due to waterborne diseases and disrupt service. It may seem like nothing but a natural disaster, but it’s the consequence of the government’s misused funds and unfulfilled promises.

Due to the corrupt government, they would rather focus on strengthening defenses when billions of pesos should be allocated for flood control projects to help protect lives and property. A recent Senate inquiry revealed that many projects were never completed.

What the people truly want is transparency and accountability. Their frustration emphasizes how government corruption continues to ruin the lives of citizens who care so much for their country. The impact of the misused funds and unfinished projects were shown clearly after Tropical Storm Bualoi.

In response from the government after observing the rageful citizens, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. publicly acknowledged the severity of the corruption in flood control projects. He referred to the anomalies in over 9,800 flood control projects valued at approximately $9.5 billion USD. He established an independent commission to investigate the issue.

Although this is a positive step forward toward transparency and the government taking accountability, many question why it took so long for action to be taken. Why did it take widespread public protests for the government to finally start addressing these concerns? Would there have been any action toward these issues if the citizens had stayed quiet?

For students at LMC, this is a reminder that civic engagement and accountability matter everywhere. It’s important to understand how government actions, not just in our own country, but abroad, can directly affect people’s lives. By being informed we can better advocate for the fairness of people’s lives, as well as that corruption anywhere in the world can still indirectly affect us too.

The struggle of the people in the Philippines serves as a powerful reminder that corruption has real consequences for families, communities all around the world. Their protests show that citizens can demand accountability against a negligent government. Change is possible, we just need to have courage and the willingness to stand up for what’s right.