An
brown na bag ni Mana Sitang.
There’s a friend of mine who feels off-balance whenever he walks or
attends an event without a bag. For him, it’s more than an accessory, it’s a
personal anchor that helps him move with confidence.
I understand that feeling. My bag carries the essentials I rely on
daily: phone, wallet, face powder, disinfectant, wet tissues, and maintenance
medicine. Without it, I feel incomplete, as if a vital part of my routine is
missing. But some bags carry weight far beyond the personal.
Former lawmaker Elizaldy Co recently admitted to inserting around P100
billion into government projects, claiming he acted under the direction of
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin
Romualdez (Flores, 2025). In a meeting at Malacañang, Co said Executive
Secretary Lucas Bersamin handed him a list of projects worth P100 billion
inside a “brown leather bag,” a bag that reminded him of a similar one he saw
with Marcos and Romualdez at the Hilton Hotel in Singapore after the 2022
elections.
So, what’s with the brown leather bag? Could it hold the key to the
Philippines’ ongoing struggles with corruption and botched flood control
projects? Might it be a modern-day Pandora’s box, capable of unleashing truths
that shake the nation to its core?
History shows that leaders’ careers can collapse once secrets are
exposed. Richard Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandal (Kutler, 1990;
Woodward & Bernstein, 2005). Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff and South Korea’s Park
Geun-hye also fell from power after misconduct surfaced (Power & Taylor,
2011; Kim, 2018). Exposure matters, and so does accountability.
The nation’s outrage over disastrous flood projects, tainted by
corruption, cannot be ignored. Left unresolved, it risks resistance, even civil
unrest. Beyond revelations, concrete action is needed to restore trust and
enforce responsibility.
If the brown leather bag contains the truth, it must be opened. Only
then can those who neglected their duties be held accountable. Only then can
the nation move toward reform.
Yes, bags can make us uneasy when out of reach. Like my friend, and
myself, I carry mine everywhere because it keeps me grounded, prepared, and
comfortable. But unlike our personal bags, the brown leather bag at the center
of this controversy may carry consequences far beyond the everyday. Its
unveiling could finally provide the clarity the nation desperately needs.
The future of transparency and trust may well hinge on what lies inside
that brown leather bag.
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