By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday said the government’s anti-corruption efforts must continue beyond his administration to ensure that reforms and changes in government are sustained.
During the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines’ (FOCAP) Presidential Luncheon at the Diamond Hotel Philippines in Manila, President Marcos Jr. said corruption has become deeply rooted in the country’s political landscape, prompting his administration to pursue measures aimed at changing how public servants view their positions and responsibilities.
“There is corruption everywhere. What you want to do is to lessen and, if not eliminate, as much as possible,” Marcos Jr. said, adding that reforms to promote transparency and reduce opportunities for abuse are being implemented.
He said the attention given to irregularities in government should continue to discourage public officials and other parties from returning to old practices.
“This is not something that you can stop. Because if you do stop, then we’re back to the old system, then we’re back to all of these ridiculous contracts that you don’t see any progress, you don’t see that they’re doubled, they’re charged over and over and over again after the same project,” he said.
“All of these things that we have uncovered, that is an ongoing process. The government has to continue to do that, because corruption is not a Filipino problem. Corruption is a human problem,” Marcos Jr. added.
The President said his administration is fixing government processes so that discretion is not abused or unnecessarily exercised, particularly in ways that result in illegal or wasteful activities.
He said the government has strengthened transparency and accountability measures in the Department of Public Works and Highways, including the creation of a transparency portal where the public can check specific infrastructure projects in their communities.
He said the portal allows the public to identify projects by district, town, and specific location and report concerns involving substandard or unfinished projects or questionable contracts. Similar dashboards and portals are now being developed or maintained by other government departments to provide the public with more specific information on government projects.
“And should they find that those are not going well, or they are post-projects, or they are substandard, or the contract is questionable, then they can report it back to us,” Marcos Jr. said.
The government is also implementing legal and administrative reforms and strengthening monitoring mechanisms to prevent irregularities from being repeated.
Marcos Jr. identified digitalization as one of the administration’s most powerful tools in curbing corruption because it reduces human discretion where wastage and corruption can occur.
“Digitalization is our most powerful tool for that. Because we remove the human element where wastage, corruption can creep into,” he said.
He said these measures are intended to make government spending and project implementation safer and more equitable.
“And that’s where, I believe, this administration has focused and that is what we are continuing to focus to make, again, the process safer and more equitable in terms of our, in terms of our spending and the projects that we are undertaking,” Marcos Jr. said.
Urgent need to hold flood control perpetrators accountable
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive stressed that accountability remains a priority as investigations into the flood control scandal continue, noting an urgent need to hold accountable those responsible for the anomalous implementation of government infrastructure projects.
“As I committed during my State of the Nation Address (SONA) last month, we will hold accountable all individuals responsible for the anomalous implementation of government infrastructure projects. This accountability goes hand in hand with ensuring that these projects deliver the services that our people need,” Marcos Jr. said.
“That is what is getting the most interest amongst the public. Cases have been filed. People have already been put behind bars. There are continuing investigations into those who are going to be held accountable, who will have to be held accountable for any wrongdoing in terms of corruption, in terms of the flood control scandal,” he added.
Asked about possible charges against his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Marcos said he is not privy to the Office of the Ombudsman’s investigation or its timetable.
“I think you should be asking that question to the Ombudsman,” he said.
In his fifth SONA on July 27, Marcos Jr. said Romualdez would face multiple cases in connection with the flood control scandal.
