Metro Manila, Philippines – Malacañang vowed that more arrests will follow in the government’s probe into alleged corruption in flood control projects, pointing to the detention of the Discaya couple as proof that the investigation is gaining ground despite criticism that no major figures were jailed before Christmas.
Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez said some critics have begun likening the Discaya couple to Janet Lim Napoles, the central figure in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam uncovered more than a decade ago.
“Some quarters are calling the Discaya couple the new Napoles, but their unexplained wealth is ten times over,” Gomez said, noting that both spent Christmas in detention.
He stressed that the probe is far from over. “The flood control investigation does not end on Dec. 25. It’s only been a little over four months,” Gomez said, adding that the Napoles investigation took nearly a year before high-profile figures were sent to jail.
“There will surely be more thrown behind bars in the New Year.”
The Palace statement came amid mounting criticism over President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s earlier promise that corrupt “big fish” would be jailed before Christmas.
Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio questioned the administration’s record, asking, “Bakit walang malaking isda sa kulungan ngayong Pasko?” [Translation: Why is there no big fish in jail this Christmas?]
Tinio said what he described as the “anemic pursuit of big fish, selective prosecution, and lackluster arrests” stemmed from what he called the administration’s failure to allow full accountability at the highest levels of government.
Marcos had earlier warned that arrests were imminent. Speaking at Malacañan Palace on Nov. 13, the president said investigators had built solid cases against several individuals linked to allegedly anomalous flood control projects.
“Alam ko bago mag-Pasko, ilan sa mga napangalanan dito… makukulong na sila. Wala silang Merry Christmas,” Marcos said, warning that those involved in stealing public funds would be held accountable.
[Translation: I know that before Christmas, some of those named here, their cases will be completed, and they will be jailed. There will be no Merry Christmas for them.]
The president said the government’s priorities were holding perpetrators liable, recovering stolen funds, and instituting reforms to prevent future corruption. He also stressed that cases would be backed by sufficient evidence to avoid dismissal in court.
