Powerful Philippine politicians will be in jail by Christmas for corruption scandal, president says
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The majority of at least 37 powerful senators, members of Congress and wealthy businessmen are involved in a terrorist organization, he said Thursday. Major corruption scandal A man involved in flood control projects was due to be jailed by Christmas for trying to quell public anger. street protests.
Marcos said an independent investigative commission he established had filed criminal charges against 37 suspects for graft, corruption and plunder, a non-bailable crime. In addition, criminal complaints were filed against 86 construction company executives and nine government officials for allegedly evading taxes worth approximately 9 billion pesos ($152 million).
Corruption has been blamed for substandard, defective or nonexistent flood control projects across the country. This is a particularly sensitive issue for the Philippines, one of the countries in Asia most prone to deadly typhoons, floods and extreme weather.
Typhoon Kalmaegi At least 232 people died last week, most of them in flash floods, and 125 people went missing in the central region of the country. Super Typhoon Fung-wong The incident struck the northern Philippines a few days later, leaving at least 27 people dead, two missing, and millions affected by flash floods and landslides.
“I know that the cases of many of the people whose names were released before Christmas will be concluded and they will end up in prison,” Marcos said, adding that more anomalies would be discovered. He said the lawsuits were strong and aimed at recovering large amounts of stolen funds.
“We are not suing for optics,” Marcos said. “We are suing to put people in jail.”
Marcos spoke at a televised news conference to report progress in the crackdown, which he vowed to carry out in his annual address to the nation before Congress in July. The corruption scandal sparked public outrage and street protests; One of them will run for three days starting this weekend, and the other will start on November 30.
Marcos said the government’s Anti-Money Laundering Council had issued seven orders to freeze the assets of corruption suspects, including 1,671 bank accounts, 144 real estate, 244 vehicles and other assets worth 6.3 billion pesos ($107 million).
At least 13 luxury cars and suspicious SUVs, including top European and British models, were seized by the Bureau of Customs for various violations, and the first seven cars were put up for public auction.
Last month, Philippine authorities opened a new prison where corruption suspects can be housed while they stand trial. The prison in suburban Quezon city can hold up to 800 detainees, and authorities have promised that powerful politicians will not be given any VIP treatment.
Infrastructure projects being investigated for possible anomalies include 9,855 flood control projects worth more than 545 billion pesos ($9 billion) expected to be implemented since Marcos took office in mid-2022. In September, Finance Minister Ralph Recto told lawmakers that up to 118.5 billion pesos ($2 billion) for flood control projects may have been corrupted since 2023 alone.
Among those indicted were lawmakers who opposed Marcos and those who were allies of Marcos; Among them was former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin and key ally, who denied any wrongdoing. Some allies of the former President Rodrigo DuterteThe harsh critic of Marcos also faced suspicion due to anomalies.
“No one is immune. No one is exempt from these investigations,” Marcos said.
