If this were an edge-of-your-seat Netflix-style political thriller, it’s the kind where no one can tell just yet how the ending will unfold.
The plot, after all, has become so twisted in this flood-control corruption saga.
The grapevine is buzzing – speculating on different scenarios, each with its own ending. Here are the possible next chapters of this flood control series, based on the circumstances of alleged key players implicated in this mess:
Scenario 1: Zaldy Co returns and does a do-or-die tell-all
One possibility is that Zaldy Co, the ex-lawmaker and former House appropriations committee chairman, dramatically resurfaces and sings like a canary.
He would be doing exactly what New York mafia underboss Salvatore ‘Sammy the Bull’ Gravano did when he turned against the untouchable mafia boss John Gotti.
Gravano, once Gotti’s confidante, testified against the crime kingpin in 1992, paving the way for Gotti’s eventual conviction and life imprisonment.
In this plot twist, Co, whom witnesses say is a key player in this infrastructure kickbacks scandal, testifies that former speaker Martin Romualdez is the mastermind of the budget insertions and the whole caboodle.
If all that talk about Co is true, including the P1 billion in cash supposedly delivered to him in seven vans, then he will surely be a credible witness, as he can corroborate the testimonies of other respondents in the congressional inquiries.
It’s not going to be easy for Co, but when he runs out of places or countries to escape to, the only way out may be to come home and spill it all.
Such a bombshell will make Romualdez the face of this systematic looting of state coffers.
This, of course, is just a scenario, as both Co and Romualdez have repeatedly denied all the allegations against them.
Scenario 2: Marcos charges his cousin
Another hypothetical scenario, assuming the first scenario happens, is that President Marcos – who earlier said there would be no sacred cows – greenlights the filing of charges against his cousin, the former House speaker.
This may be a shining moment for Marcos but it won’t be easy because it will surely fracture the decades-long Marcos-Romualdez alliance. Is Marcos willing to take that political risk?
The repercussions of this are that Romualdez will retaliate, which may be a threat to the Marcoses. After all, as they say in the underworld, he knows ‘where the bodies are buried.’ In short, Romualdez, if he is guilty of allegations against him, knows where the money trail ends or who else received billions in kickbacks from insertions.
He may invoke his last card and remind the First Family that he helped keep them afloat during exile. If he retaliates, it may destabilize the administration and rivals may exploit it.
It may also boomerang back to Marcos himself as it will weaken him. What was once a family alliance turns into open political warfare, with the Dutertes circling like sharks.
Scenario 3: The Duterte camp exploits the rift
If the second scenario becomes a reality, it will be an opportunity for the Duterte camp to exploit the cracks in the Marcos administration.
Sara Duterte and her allies in both the Senate and the House will use Romualdez’s downfall to weaken Marcos further. New alliances will form and will paint the Marcos presidency as corrupt and compromised. Note that in politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.
For sure, the Dutertes will reassert themselves as the ‘cleaner’ alternative for 2028. They will take advantage of the public works corruption scandal, arguing that the investigations launched by the Romualdez-led chamber against Sara were merely a smokescreen to cover up his own crime.
The result is that Sara will gain momentum against both Marcos and opposition figures and will be a shoo-in for 2028.
Scenario 4: Nothing happens
Another scenario I see isn’t exactly a positive one, but it has a strong likelihood of happening in our storied nation of 115 million.
Despite the mayhem and the chaos, and despite all the promises of leaving no stone unturned, it’s possible that nothing will happen. There will be inquiries behind closed doors until the national attention moves to another big issue.
Maybe one or two underbosses of the underbosses will be charged, but the cases will drag in court for years until the rage dies down and the public forgets. Nobody will be sent to jail. The big fish will end up scot-free, lay low for a while and come up with another idea for a grand thievery.
In the end, just like in previous corruption scandals, it will be back to the good ol’ days.
Scenario 5: 2028
OK, this is not a scenario, it’s inevitable. But what happens in 2028 depends on how well Marcos will handle the biggest crisis his administration is facing. If the public is satisfied with the outcome, a Marcos ally may yet win against Sara Duterte.
If not, it’s Sara for sure – and the fallout from the ugly breakup of UniTeam will linger. The Marcoses and the Romualdezes may once again have to prepare for exile, assuming Sara is kind enough to simply send them abroad.
These are of course just scenarios in our TV-like story, hinging on whether the alleged masterminds are really who the witnesses claim them to be.
As for the rest of us, we can only hope there will be a day of reckoning when the guilty are finally charged. Now, that’s one happy ending.