By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
“Ang gusto ko talagang malaman, paano tayo umabot sa ganito?”
In the fourth episode of the BBM Podcast aired on Sunday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. lamented the gravity of corruption that plagued the ‘ghost’ and anomalous flood control projects, which he revealed during his 4th State of the Nation Address in July.
This, as Marcos noted the finalization of an upcoming independent flood-control probe body to delve into the nuances of this pressing national concern, that has the citizenry paying close attention to developments on this alarming issue.
He noted that this would differ from existing agencies like the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Office of the Ombudsman, and the fruits of the investigation are intended to produce changes in legislation or structural reforms to prevent a recurrence of abuses.
Noting the need to stem the decades-long problem of corruption, the President said, “It did not happen overnight. This happened over many decades. And we have to figure out kung ano ba talaga ang nangyari para hindi na mangyari ulit, to put the safeguards in place—if it requires legislation, if it requires restructuring the government, lahat yan kailangan natin gawin.”
President Marcos added, reiterating his experience as the former governor of Ilocos Norte from 1983-1986, and from 1998-2007, “Ako, nasa-shock ako. Hindi ako makapaniwala na nandito na tayo, na ganito na ang gobyerno. Noong ako ay governor, hindi ganito. At bukod pa sa laki ng halaga ng nakukuha ng kung sino-sino na tao na wala namang karapatan na bulsahin ang pera na ‘yan, bukod pa roon, ay hindi nila tinatago.”
Meanwhile, the teary-eyed Chief Executive reassured the citizenry that there will be no sacred cows in the inquiry into the anomalous infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), vowing to place public interest at the forefront of the investigation.
Marcos lamented, “Yes, because I’m very upset. No, because I see people having a hard time. And they don’t deserve it. Mabuti [pa] kung masamang tao ‘yan, dapat parusahan. Hindi naman eh. Walang ginawa ‘yan kung hindi magtrabaho, kung hindi mahalin ang pamilya. Ba’t mo paparusahan? Para magpayaman ka? Makes no sense to me.”
The President concluded his podcast by noting the effectivity of the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website, which has racked up more than 12,000 complaints from the citizenry as of press time, and has expanded beyond flood control projects to include other public works marred with irregularities like dilapidated roads and highways.
He likewise encouraged the masses to continue using the online channel for reporting corruption cases to aid in getting to the bottom of this long-standing national dilemma.
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