President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday rejected accusations linking him to the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal, insisting he was the one who first exposed the controversy
“I’m the one who exposed all of this, and I’m the only one that has started to do anything about this,” Marcos told reporters at the close of his four-day official visit to Canada.
Marcos argued that his 2025 State of the Nation Address brought the issue to light, saying the public would not have known about the scheme otherwise. He stressed that past administrations failed to act on anomalies in flood control projects.
“Meron ba silang kinulong? Meron ba silang na-freeze na account? Meron ba silang mga imbestigasyon na ginawa? Wala. Sa akin lang,” he said.
The president dismissed claims that he was behind the racket: “Tapos sasabihin, ako daw ang may kagagawan. Eh kung talagang racket ko yun, ba’t ko sisiraan yung racket ko? Di ba? That makes absolutely no sense.”
Marcos noted that former Camarines Sur lawmaker Rolando “Nonoy” Andaya Jr. had already raised alarms in 2018 over the alleged ₱300-billion flood control mess, while former president Rodrigo Duterte admitted corruption existed but failed to hold anyone accountable.
“Unfortunately, the more we look, the more we find,” Marcos said, describing the scheme as a “deep-seated system of corruption” requiring both structural reforms and a shift in public attitude.
He added that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla has discretion on whether to make former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan a state witness.
“If he feels that the former Secretary Manny Bonoan will be helpful to the cases with the other people then again, to use the word again, it is his prerogative. I have complete faith in the Ombudsman and what he’s doing.” # (ZIA LUNA)
