Marcos vows flood control cheats in jail by December

November 14 ------ PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr said many of those linked to the flood control bribery scandal would be in jail by December — but his cousin, former speaker Martin Romualdez, would not be one of them. “I know that before Christmas, many of those named here will have their cases concluded. They will be in jail,” he said, referring to former officials, lawmakers and contractors that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman be charged.

In his presentation, Marcos said the ICI’s first batch of case referrals, transmitted to the Office of the Ombudsman on Sept. 29, involves 37 people, including Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, former House appropriations chairman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, former Caloocan representative Mitch Cajayon-Uy, Commission on Audit Commissioner Mario Lipana and former Public Works secretary Manuel Bonoan. Also implicated were former Public Works undersecretaries Roberto Bernardo and Maria Catalina Cabral, other Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials from Bulacan and Region 4B offices, and representatives of private contractors allegedly involved in anomalous projects. They are facing cases for allegedly violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code, or Malversation of Public Funds in relation to the Government Procurement Reform Act.

The chief executive said his administration’s efforts are anchored on three goals: to hold accountable those behind the corruption, to recover the stolen public funds and to institute reforms to put a stop to the irregularities. “So, to those shameless people and their accomplices who stole public funds, your happy days are over,” he said. Marcos stressed that while he wants the speedy resolution of cases, the building of solid cases based on evidence is the top priority so that the charges won’t be dismissed due to legal technicalities. “You know, we fear that those who are truly complicit in this shamelessness will escape consequences because of a legal technicality, because we made a mistake in compiling evidence, because we did not present the case well, or because we forgot to sign a document,” he said. “So, we make sure that when we file a case, that case will be strong until the end, and whoever is guilty, they will be held accountable. And if necessary and if the court judges them, they will be imprisoned,” he added.

Source: manilatimes.net