Pride, Politics, and Rising Waters

As another downpour turns streets into murky rivers, families brace for the inevitable task of moving furniture, securing belongings, and cleaning out the mud that follows. This is the grim, recurring reality for many Ilonggos.

Meanwhile, in the air-conditioned halls of Iloilo City Hall, another kind of storm is brewing—a political tempest of pride, procedure, and power that does little to keep our homes dry.

The standoff between the Iloilo City Council and Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) OIC Roy Pacanan has devolved into a frustrating spectacle. At the center of it is the title of persona non grata. For Mr. Pacanan, it is an “insulting” and “degrading” label that prevents him from facing the city’s legislators. For the council, it is a tool of last resort that has now become a point of internal division.

Councilor Miguel Treñas, who authored the declaration, is now willing to rescind it as a compromise. Majority Floor Leader Rex Marcus Sarabia rightly warns that doing so would mean the council would “condone his actions” and lose its “backbone.”

While they debate the semantics of a symbolic tag, the very real consequences of the projects in question are on full display. The recent ocular inspection in Lapuz, prompted by citizen complaints, laid bare the issues that should be the singular focus of this investigation.

The findings from that inspection are interesting. Councilor Johnny Young pointed to purported critical failures: Where is the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for a project that alters a creek? Why has a natural waterway been converted into a roadway, now home to a motorcycle repair shop? These are not political questions. They are fundamental questions of competence, planning, and public safety. These are the questions the ICDEO must answer.

The ICDEO may view the inquiry as “in aid of political demolition,” but for Ilonggos, the questions are practical. They stem from direct experience with flooding and a genuine need for transparency. When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself has commented on “delayed and substandard” flood structures in our city, the need for clear answers from all parties becomes paramount.

This situation presents an opportunity to affirm the principle that “public office is a public trust.” Mr. Pacanan’s attendance would not be a concession to the council, but a direct address to the Ilonggos they represent. He is the key resource person uniquely positioned to explain the technical details and scientific studies behind these multimillion-peso projects. Choosing to look past the persona non grata issue and engage in dialogue would be a significant act of public service, giving him the ideal platform to present his data, counter the criticisms, and directly address the concerns of the city he serves.

The City Council, for its part, must also refocus. The internal squabble over whether to lift the declaration is a distraction that plays directly into Mr. Pacanan’s hands. The goal is not to convince him to attend a meeting; the goal is to secure accountability for the public. If the symbolic tag has become a roadblock, then it is time for more concrete action. It is time to move beyond gestures and pursue every available avenue to demand answers, be it through formal complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman or direct escalation to the national leadership of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The pride of one official and the procedural debates of a legislative body are meaningless to the family whose home is once again inundated. The only thing that matters is solving the flooding that plagues our city.

Mr. Pacanan must find the courage to face the people’s representatives and answer for his office’s actions. The City Council must unite with a singular purpose: to demand not just answers, but effective, lasting solutions. This is, and always must be, for the common good.