MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos stated he fully supports public demonstrations against a corruption scandal involving fraudulent flood control projects.
Marcos expressed understanding for citizens showing outrage and demanding justice during a Monday press briefing where he appointed a former Supreme Court justice to lead an investigation.
The infrastructure scandal has triggered protests across Manila, including a 3,000-student demonstration at the University of the Philippines campus.
Authorities have placed the nation’s army on red alert as precaution ahead of an annual protest marking the 1972 martial law declaration by Marcos’s father.
Marcos pledged that friends and allies would not be spared from investigation when questioned about his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, whose name emerged during scandal hearings.
Romualdez has denied involvement despite being among numerous lawmakers implicated in the widening corruption case.
Construction firm owners recently accused nearly 30 House members and public works officials of accepting cash payments.
Marcos appointed former Supreme Court justice Andres Reyes to head a three-person commission investigating flood control projects from the past decade.
The investigative body will conduct hearings and review evidence but lacks authority to impose punishments unilaterally.
The Philippines has historically seen high-ranking politicians escape serious jail time despite numerous public fund scandals.
The Department of Finance estimates corruption in flood control projects cost the economy up to 118.5 billion pesos ($2 billion) from 2023 to 2025.
Newly appointed Public Works chief Vince Dizon dismissed three agency officials in flood-prone Bulacan province for misconduct and gross neglect of duty. – AFP