KLEPTOSPIROSIS: When corruption becomes a public health crisis

As leptospirosis cases surge—over 3,037 nationwide, with hundreds of lives lost—we must speak not only with data, but with deep empathy. Behind every statistic is a grieving family, a breadwinner lost, a child orphaned. And behind every flooded street is a system that failed them.

This is not just a bacterial outbreak. It is a betrayal.

I call it KLEPTOSPIROSIS—a disease born not of nature, but of negligence. A public health emergency manufactured by corruption in flood control programs, where greed becomes the true contagion.

The Anatomy of Kleptospirosis:

• ₱1 trillion in flood control funds may have vanished into ghost projects
• Drainage systems clogged, esteros erased, urban planning abandoned
• Hospitals like NKTI and San Lazaro overwhelmed, converting gymnasiums into emergency wards
• Patients arriving in severe condition, many too late for life-saving treatment

And yet, in this chaos, our healthcare workers rise.

Doctors, nurses, and public health officers—underpaid, overworked, and emotionally drained—continue to serve with compassion and courage. Their heroism deserves not just applause, but structural support.

But let’s be clear: this is not enough.

Leptospirosis Is Preventable. Kleptopirosis Is Manufactured.

Every death is a receipt of corruption.
Every dialysis session is a tax on the poor.
Every untreated wound is a wound to our democracy.

We must now confront the real culprits—not just the bacteria, but the lawmakers and officials who allowed this rot to fester. Those who padded budgets with pork, who signed off on ghost projects, who turned flood control into a cash cow while our people drowned.

To them, we say:
Mahiya naman kayo.
Be ashamed—not just of the floods, but of the futures you’ve stolen.

From Outrage to Action

We demand:

• A full audit of flood control spending, with names and consequences
• Transparency in hospital reporting and disease surveillance
• A climate accountability bill with teeth—not headlines
• Urgent deployment of mobile clinics and prophylaxis in flood-prone areas

Let this be our rallying cry:
“Hindi lang tubig ang bumaha—katiwalian ang tunay na salot.”

Let’s name the disease.
Let’s fight the cause.
Let’s cure the country.