LET me borrow the title of my sister and fellow columnist Josephine Codilla’s column, “Been There, Done That.” Well, in my case, perhaps it should be “Been There”—because I have been there, although I did not exactly do anything except observe.
Yes, I recently visited Iligan City and Marawi City with fellow presidents from Rotary District 3810 and my friends Gary Pua and Tess Tie. We attended the wedding of the daughter of my fellow Rotary classmate, Sairah Pangcatan Mandia.
One thing immediately caught my attention: the roads.
Compared with many roads in Manila and other parts of the National Capital Region, the roads in Iligan and the areas we passed through were remarkably better.
From Laguindingan Airport to our hotel in Iligan City, and later on our trip to Marawi City and the former Ground Zero, our driver had no difficulty driving fast—but carefully.
The national highway, particularly the Butuan–Cagayan de Oro–Iligan Road, was smooth. There were no potholes to dodge, no craters to avoid, and no back-breaking bumps to endure.
Quite unlike Metro Manila, where after the southwest monsoon and the twin typhoons Luis and Maymay, some roads now resemble the surface of the moon—full of holes.
My friends jokingly said, perhaps the corrupt officials—like those being accused in Senate hearings—have not yet reached this part of Mindanao.
In short, they were saying that maybe the corrupt have not reached Mindanao.
Of course, many will disagree. There have been reports of ghost projects in different parts of Mindanao as well. Corruption, unfortunately, is not confined to one region.
Perhaps corruption exists almost everywhere. The difference is that some officials are simply not as greedy as others. Their greed, it seems, has limits.
And that, for me, is the sad reality.
Because during this trip, I saw proof that the Philippines can still move forward. Development is possible. Good infrastructure can be built. Roads can actually last.
Perhaps what we need is not more money.
We simply need less greed. What do you think?
