Public outrage is mounting in the Philippines as investigations into so-called "ghost projects" reveal that hundreds of taxpayer-funded flood control works were never completed. The revelations come as the country faces increasingly severe flooding, a recurring crisis made worse by inadequate drainage systems and the accelerating effects of climate change.
When powerful cyclones struck in July, affecting more than six million Filipinos, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged the new reality of climate threats: "This is not an extraordinary situation anymore…This will be our lives no matter what we do."
But while the climate is a major factor, corruption has also deepened the country's vulnerability.
A recent study by Pulse Asia Research found that about 97% of Filipinos "believe that corruption in government is 'widespread.'" In his annual State of the Nation Address, Marcos vowed accountability, declaring that "someone has to pay for the grave
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