House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III has admitted that trust in the chamber has been very low and urged lawmakers and staffers to work diligently to restore the people’s confidence.
Dy made the remarks during the flag-raising program at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, noting that he has heard accounts of House staffers not wearing their uniforms while commuting out of fear of being publicly shamed amid widespread outrage over corruption schemes in government infrastructure projects.
Instead of taking offense, Dy said the House should use this as a reminder to redouble its efforts.
‘I know that the situation in Congress now is not easy during these times. There is a huge challenge for our institution and even for each one of us,’ he said.
‘I have even heard stories of our colleagues who are forced to wear different clothes or remove their uniforms due to fear that they might be picked on while commuting towards Congress,’ he told the audience.
‘It may be hard to accept, but the people’s trust towards our institution really went down. But this is also a reminder to improve our work and regain that lost trust through honest service,’ he added.
Dy reminded lawmakers and House staffers that they can always rely on hope.
‘Let us all remember: For every storm, the sun will rise again. For every dark night, light will emerge. There will always be light at the end of each tunnel,’ he told the employees.
‘I am here to give my thanks because, despite everything, you continue to serve with care and honesty. Each document addressed, each door guarded, and every area you ensure cleanliness of-all of these have an important role in our everyday duty,’ the speaker said.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address last July 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned government officials and contractors who allegedly benefited from flood control projects at the expense of the people.
This came after Senator Panfilo Lacson’s warning that half of the country’s almost P2 trillion funds since 2011 for flood control may have been lost to corruption.
Marcos later inspected several projects, many of which were found to be either substandard or completely non-existent.
Multiple investigations-including Congress-were launched, but several lawmakers were implicated for either having interests in the companies that do flood control projects or being accused of diverting funds for such purposes.
The flood control scandal eventually reached Congress’ leadership.
Last September 8, former Senate President Francis Escudero was replaced by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, after Escudero was criticized for receiving a P30 million campaign donation in 2022 from a contractor whose firm secured several government infrastructure projects.
In the House, former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez relinquished his post last September 17 to allow an independent commission to probe his alleged involvement in flood control issues.
Romualdez has not been connected to any of the top companies involved in flood control projects, but he was one of the lawmakers named by contractor couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya as allegedly receiving kickbacks from the projects.
During a previous Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Curlee Discaya said that several House members have asked for a percentage of public funds allocated to infrastructure projects after his companies bagged government contracts.
Discaya added that on top of lawmakers’ request for a kickback was a 25 percent cut that would allegedly be given to Romualdez and Co.
Romualdez dismissed the Discaya couple’s allegations, calling it ‘false, malicious, and nothing more than name-dropping.’/abc