‘Sorry na lang’: Marcos vows to spare no one in flood control audit

Metro Manila, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed that even allies will not be spared in the crackdown on failed flood control projects that he ordered in the State of the Nation Address (SONA).

READ: SONA 2025: Marcos to keep tabs on flood control projects 

In a podcast episode, Marcos said the administration has to know the lapses, and who should be held accountable.

“Mayroong dapat naman managot dahil sa dinadaanan na hirap, na dinadanas ng ating mga kababayan [Translation: Someone must be held accountable for the hardships of our countrymen],” he said. “They have to be told who is responsible and somebody has to answer for their suffering.”

Asked if allies would be found in corrupt activities, the president said: “Sorry na lang. Hindi na kita kaalyado kung ganyan ang ginagawa mo. Ayaw na kitang kaalyado.”

[Translation: Sorry, but you will not be my ally if you’re doing such a thing. I don’t want you to be my ally.]

During the SONA, Marcos told scammers to be ashamed of the suffering of flood victims, and to future generations who will pay the debt over corrupted public funds.

RELATED: Flood project investigation to cover past DPWH leadership - Malacañang 

Asked to identify these people, Marcos said: “They know who they are. They know who they are. Mayroon naman diyan talagang mga notorious. Matagal ng ganito ang ginagawa [There are individuals who are notorious and have been doing anomalous practices for so long].”

“I’m sorry but they will have to account for their actions and they will have to account for the expenditures that they have made na hindi natin nakikita kung ano ‘yung naging resulta [which we don’t see the results],” he said.

Marcos said that there are “some names that are coming up” in the audit, including some contractors who did inefficient work. He said they will be put on a blacklist and may be slapped with cases.

Meanwhile, the president also hinted that the crackdown on corrupt officials could go beyond flood-control projects.

“It has to be evenly applied. Hindi naman maaari dito lang tayo nagau-audit, dito lang tayo naghahanap ng mananagot,” Marcos said.

“Kailangan lahat kung sinoman ang naging kasabwat dito sa ganyang klaseng pagtrabaho, sorry na lang,” he said.

[Translation: It has to be evenly applied. We should not only audit flood control projects, and only there we will hold people into account. We should hold into account all individuals involved in corruption of government projects.]