THE ONGOING congressional inquiry into flood control anomalies has exposed a flaw in our system: lawmakers investigating themselves.
The blunt remark of Monsignor Meliton Oso, director of the Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center, captures the public’s frustration — “A congressman investigating another congressman. A senator investigating another senator. They all have the same dirt in their hands.”
It is a harsh indictment, but one that resonates with ordinary citizens who see hearings in the Senate and House of Representatives less as quests for truth and more as exercises in political theater. The spotlight often falls on contractors, while the lawmakers who sponsor and approve projects quietly slip into the shadows. This selective accountability undermines the very essence of legislative oversight.
The principle of checks and balances demands independence. When the accused and the inquisitors belong to the same circle, the result is predictable — half-truths, scapegoats, and ultimately, no real justice. As Monsignor Oso rightly pointed out, multimillion-peso flood control projects could not have advanced without congressional approval and budget insertions. If only contractors are made to answer, then the investigation is not only incomplete but also dishonest.
The broader question is whether Congress, as presently structured, can ever credibly police itself. History is not encouraging. Past inquiries have rarely led to convictions of legislators, and the cycle of hearings without resolution has eroded public trust. The damage goes beyond wasted money; it strikes at the moral authority of Congress to act as a guardian of public funds.
What is needed is a mechanism that stands outside partisan interests — an independent body with the mandate and courage to investigate public works anomalies wherever the trail leads, even to the halls of Congress itself. Without such reform, legislative inquiries will remain what critics have long called them: spectacles designed to protect the powerful while sacrificing truth at the altar of political expediency.
For the people left with crumbling bridges, substandard flood control, and wasted billions, the question is: who will truly hold our lawmakers to account?
Until this is answered, congressional inquiries will continue to test not only their limits but also the patience of a weary public.
