MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday (November 13) vowed to have corrupt public officials linked to shoddy or non-existent infrastructure projects in jail by December, following back-to-back typhoons that left dozens dead and caused floods that displaced over a million people.
Coming one after the other in just a span of a week, Storm Kalmaegi and Super Typhoon Fung-Wong ravaged a large portion of the archipelago the past two weeks, with combined fatalities of over 250 people and over a hundred still missing. The weather disturbances also affected over six million people, of whom 1.8 million are still displaced, the government said.
In the wake of the disaster, Marcos declared a national state of calamity until the year’s end, and vowed more emergency funds for the country’s overstretched disaster response units, which have been working non-stop since September when two powerful earthquakes struck the central Philippines.
“I know before Christmas … their cases will be over,” Marcos told a news conference. “The cases against them will be complete and they will be jailed. They will not have a ‘Merry Christmas.’”
Marcos, however, did not identify the persons he was alluding to, although an independent commission he had set up in September specifically to investigate corruption is known to be looking at several senators and congressmen who allegedly profited from anomalous deals, including his first cousin, who has since stepped down as Speaker of the House.
In August, he released the results of an audit into flood control projects that showed glaring patterns of irregularity and massive corruption, leading to widespread calls for accountability. The following month, millions of Filipinos took to the streets to protest, led by the youth. They have vowed larger protests scheduled for later in November.
Marcos on Thursday said investigators were tasked to ensure a tight case, and not to rush their investigations.
“What we are afraid of is that those involved in this mess will go scot-free because of a legal technicality, because we made a mistake in gathering evidence, our case is not presented well or we forgot to sign a document,” Marcos said. “These little things can sink a case.”
“We would like to assure the public that every case we file against these abusive people are backed by sufficient evidence and will not be trashed in court,” he said in Tagalog.
“We will make the guilty pay,” Marcos stressed, adding that the government would also move to recover all the funds spent that will then go to proper government projects.
While many say that Marcos’ anti-corruption drive was welcome, they also point out that his late father and namesake, who led the country for two decades with an iron fist, had also plundered the Philippines.
To this day, just a portion of the alleged stolen wealth has been recovered from the Marcoses, even as Ferdinand E. Marcos was believed to have stolen some 10 billion dollars, according to government estimates.
Marcos, the father, was overthrown by a ‘people power’ revolution in 1986, and he was exiled to Hawaii with his wife, Imelda, and children, Ferdinand Jr and sisters Imee and Irene.
He died there three years later, but his wife and children were later allowed to return home. They then slowly rebuilt their political dynasty, and in 2022, Marcos Jr. won as president, while Imee took a Senate seat. Marcos Jr’s cousin and his eldest son also won seats in Congress.
In a speech before a joint session of Congress in July, Marcos called out those who were behind alleged irregularities. He subsequently launched a website where details of the anomalous projects, their proponents and political backers were made available to the public.
On Wednesday, a proposed law was filed in the Senate to create an Independent People’s Commission (IPC) tasked to investigate the anomalous projects. Authored by opposition senators, the bill aims to create an “investigative body” to probe systematic corruption.
It will also have the power to issue subpoenas, suspend and freeze assets and to grant immunity and protection to whistleblowers, among others. Moreover, it would also have the power to suspend and blacklist contractors if they are suspected of being involved in rigged deals.
“Much has been said about the recent flood control issue that shocked the nation. It is now time we take action,” Senate President Vicente Sotto said.
“Every devastating typhoon or monsoon that floods our streets, damages homes, destroys livelihoods, disrupts daily activities, and claims lives reminds us of the Filipino people’s unwavering resiliency. But resiliency should not be celebrated when accountability is undeniably lacking,” Sotto said.
Jason Gutierrez was head of Philippine news at BenarNews, an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia (RFA), a Washington-based news organization that covered many under-reported countries in the region. A veteran foreign correspondent, he has also worked with The New York Times and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
