Independent body to have full powers to probe flood control mess- Marcos

Metro Manila, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his administration is forming an independent commission with sweeping powers to investigate alleged corruption in flood control projects and other infrastructure programs.

In a recent podcast interview, Marcos said the body will operate outside existing government agencies such as the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Office of the Ombudsman.

“We are creating what we call an independent commission,” Marcos said. “It has no formal name yet, but that’s what we are putting together to investigate these anomalies.”

When asked about the scope of the commission’s authority, the president said it will have the power to summon and probe anyone, including members of Congress.

“They will have the authority to investigate anything and anyone,” Marcos said.

“Otherwise, people will just say there are sacred cows being protected. If that happens, their investigation will be useless.”

Marcos acknowledged the depth of the problem, saying corruption in infrastructure projects has become systemic over decades.

“Paano tayo nagkaganito? (How did we get here?)” he said. “It became allowable. People said, ‘Okay lang. Hindi problema ’yan. Hindi krimen ’yan. Sige lang.’ (It’s okay. That’s not a problem. That’s not a crime. Just go ahead.) It was normalized.”

According to the president, some reports indicate that up to 70 percent of funds for projects are lost to corruption. “That’s the part that I really cannot sleep thinking about,” he said.

Marcos also cited the success of a direct reporting system to the Office of the President, which has received more than 12,000 complaints since it was launched.

“These reports are not just about flood control projects,” he said. “There are also complaints about road widening, paving and many other issues.”

Despite the revelations, Marcos said he is not discouraged but angered by the scale of the corruption.

“How can you do this to people that have worked every day of their lives, sacrificed so much just to send money home, feed their families, and send their children to school?” he said. “Kukunin niyo pa sa kanila ’yun para bumili ng Rolls-Royce? (And then you take that from them to buy a Rolls-Royce?)”

He stressed that even allies and relatives will not be spared from scrutiny.

“Who’s more important? Your friend, your political supporter? Or every single ordinary Filipino citizen?” Marcos said. “To me, it’s the Filipino citizen. Nobody is more important.”

When asked if he regrets taking on the presidency given the scale of the challenges, Marcos quickly said no.