Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos stated on Monday that he doesn’t fault citizens for joining street protests amid growing outrage over a corruption scandal linked to fake flood control projects.
The scandal has sparked numerous protests in Manila recently, including one with about 3,000 students at the University of the Philippines.
Most demonstrations have been relatively small, but a protest commemorating the 1972 martial law declaration by Marcos’s father is anticipated to attract large crowds this Sunday.
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The Southeast Asian nation’s military is on “red alert” as a precautionary measure.
During a Monday press briefing, where he appointed a former Supreme Court justice to lead an investigative body, Marcos acknowledged the public’s anger as legitimate.
“Expressing your rage, showing you’re upset, expressing disappointment, or demanding justice… There’s nothing wrong with that,” Marcos stated at the briefing.
“I don’t blame them. Not at all.”
He also emphasized that neither friends nor allies would be exempt when questioned about his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who was mentioned in hearings about the scandal last week.
Romualdez, denying any involvement, is among several lawmakers under scrutiny in the expanding scandal.
Hearings
Last week, a construction firm’s owners accused nearly 30 House members and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials of accepting bribes.
Marcos announced on Monday that former Supreme Court justice Andres Reyes will lead a three-member commission to investigate the past decade’s flood control projects.
The commission will have the authority to conduct hearings and examine evidence, but cannot impose penalties unilaterally.
The Philippines has a longstanding history of public fund scandals, with high-ranking politicians often avoiding significant jail time despite corruption convictions.
The Department of Finance estimated that corruption in flood control projects cost the Philippine economy up to 118.5 billion pesos ($2 billion) from 2023 to 2025.
Vince Dizon, an economist and political aide under various administrations, recently assumed leadership of the DPWH, which has suffered reputational damage.
On Monday, he dismissed three officials in Bulacan province, north of Manila, a region frequently affected by flooding, for misconduct and gross negligence.
