MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said no one will be exempt from an independent investigation into alleged anomalies in infrastructure projects, as he vowed to rebuild public trust as protests over corruption loom.
Marcos assured the graft-weary public that the probe would break from past efforts, calling it an “inflection point” in how the government operates and spends funds.
He appointed a former Supreme Court justice to lead a newly formed commission and said it would tackle all wrongdoers no matter who they are, with congressional investigations already implicating several powerful political figures.
“There’s only one way to do it… they will not be spared,” Marcos told a televised press briefing on Monday.
The commission was to investigate alleged corruption in infrastructure projects, with a focus on flawed flood control facilities that have come under scrutiny after monsoon rains and storms inundated towns and cities in recent months.
Marcos flagged 545 billion pesos ($9.52 billion) in flood control spending since 2022 that was riddled with alleged irregularities, with some projects never actually built. Just 15 contractors bagged 20% of the budget, sparking outrage over “excessive corruption”.
Civil society groups, including church leaders, are planning anti-corruption rallies on September 21 to coincide with the anniversary of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s declaration of martial law, a period many remember as one of the darkest in the country’s history.
“If I weren’t president, I might be out in the streets with them,” said Marcos, who is Marcos Sr’s son.
He urged those planning to mount protests to do so peacefully amid violent demonstrations in Nepal and Indonesia.
“Express it,” he said. “You make your feelings known to these people and make them answerable for the wrongdoings that they have done.”
The president has scrapped all flood control projects for 2026, redirecting the savings to fund education, health, and agriculture.
Marcos warned against politicising the probe, saying the issue boils down to accountability and transparency.
“Let’s not politicize this. It’s a matter of simple numbers,” he said.
“We need to find out how much public money was stolen by these crooks. That’s what we need to uncover and fix.”
($1 = 57.2570 Philippine pesos)
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by David Stanway)
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