Amid criticisms he has been receiving over the said matter.
Prior to his return to the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said in a press conference his response to the question of whether the administration did enough to fulfill its commitment to crack down on corruption in the past year.
Marcos made that promise during the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year and is set to deliver his fifth on July 27.
“Kung hindi ko sinabi yung sinabi ko sa SONA, wala tayong pinag-uusapan na ganito. I’m the one who exposed all of this,” he said.
The Chief Executive also said that the administration will continue its campaign against corruption and noted investigations helped uncovered long-standing irregularities that extended beyond his term in office, which started in 2022, and required both structural reforms and a change in government culture.
“Well, I cannot say that we have done enough because we are not done yet. Unfortunately, the more we look, the more we find,” the President said, emphasizing the alleged irregularities under investigation did not begin under his administration.
“And it is going already back beyond my administration, beyond my term, If you remember, I think it was in 2018 already, the minority floor leader in the House, Nonoy Andaya, already said that he had uncovered a 300-plus billion flood control mess,” he recounted the statement made by the former lawmaker.
The President emphasized that the pattern of alleged anomalies could be traced back to 2017 and 2018, adding that while the issue had been acknowledged at the time, accountability was not established.
“So when we look at what happened last year or the year before, then we can see that the pattern extends beyond 2022, back beyond 2022, and back to about that time, 2017-2018.”
He also took a swipe at his predecessor, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, who acknowledged that there were problems in flood control projects, yet “did not find accountability in anybody.z
“So I guess that was left up to me. And so we are still doing it. We’re still working on it,” Marcos and revealed that investigations continue to reveal additional cases, underscoring the need for comprehensive reforms.
“Bakit ang mga nakaraang Pangulo, nakakita ba kayong ginawang gano’n? Meron ba silang kinulong? Meron ba silang pi-freeze na accounts? Meron ba silang mga investigation na ginawa? Wala,” the President also noted. “Tapos sasabihin, ako daw ang may kagagawan. Eh kung talagang racket ko ‘yun, bakit ko sisirain ‘yung racket ko? Di ba? That makes absolutely no sense.”
The President also described corruption as a deeply rooted problem that cannot be addressed solely through investigations but also requires changes in government systems and institutional culture.
“This is a deep-seated system of corruption that requires not only structural changes in the way government is run, in the way the budget is written, but also a change in attitude,” President Marcos emphasized. “That’s the hardest part to change — the culture within government.”
Meanwhile, when he was asked about tje criticism that the issue is being used as a weapon by political opponents against his administration, President Marcos defended the government and told they were the ones that initiated the investigations.
“And I’m the only one that has started to do anything about this,” the President noted, adding the actions taken against individuals allegedly involved in irregularities.
The Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman filed several charges against a number of individuals for their alleged links to the flood control mess.
COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING CORRUPTION
Meanwhile, on Friday, Malacañang also reaffirmed its commitment to combating corruption.
During a press briefing in Vancouver, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro stressed public officials involved in anomalous projects must be held accountable while ensuring that due process is observed.
She also noted that President Marcos remains committed to pursuing accountability in government.
“Ang Pangulo naman po at ang administration na ito, ang polisya ay managot ang dapat na managot. Dapat nating litisin ang anumang issue ng korupsyon sa ating gobyerno, sa ating bansa,” Castro said.
She then emphasized that while the government is determined to investigate allegations of corruption, individuals implicated in such cases must also be afforded the opportunity to defend themselves.
“At kung kailangan na may managot, at kung kailangan naman din nilang madepensahan ang kanilang sarili, ay magagawa naman po nila,” she said.
The Palace Press Officer also underscored that the government remains vigilant against irregularities in public projects and transactions. “At sa lahat po ng nagsasagawa ng mga ma-anumalyang proyekto, ang gobyerno ay hindi natutulog. Linisin natin ang bansa sa mga isyu ng korupsyon,” she added.
She furthered by saying that the anti-corruption campaign is one of the priorities. “Sinimulan na po ito ng Pangulo. Kaya sana po ay magtuloy-tuloy ito kahit ang Pangulo po ay natapos ng kanyang termino,” Castro said.
Lastly, she reiterated the administration’s commitment tobpromoting transparency, accountability, and good governance while ensuring that investigations into alleged corruption are conducted in accordance with the rule of law.