By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio on Sunday challenged the Marcos administration to pursue what he described as the “big fish” behind the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, warning that the government’s anti-graft campaign risks losing credibility if only a handful of officials are prosecuted.
Tinio said the arrests of several high-profile personalities—including an incumbent senator, a former senator, a former Cabinet official, contractors, and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers—represent only a fraction of those allegedly responsible for one of the country’s biggest public works corruption cases.
According to the lawmaker, many Filipinos continue to believe that the principal architects of the alleged kickback scheme have yet to be held accountable.
“Selective prosecution and selective accountability depend on whether those involved are allies or critics of the administration,” Tinio said in a statement in Filipino. “Those who have been arrested bear responsibility, but they are not necessarily the most accountable for the corruption that plagued the flood control program.”
Tinio questioned why several prominent personalities who have been linked to the investigation remain free while others have already been charged.
He went further by raising the possibility that accountability could extend to the country’s highest office.
“The question that must be answered is whether the biggest fish is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself,” Tinio said, arguing that public perception increasingly points to uneven enforcement of the law.
President Marcos himself exposed alleged widespread corruption in flood mitigation projects during his fourth State of the Nation Address, describing how politicians, government engineers and private contractors allegedly conspired to siphon billions of pesos from public infrastructure through ghost, unfinished or substandard projects.
Despite those pronouncements, Tinio noted that arrests have so far been limited to personalities such as Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, and several DPWH engineers.
He maintained that other influential personalities have yet to face formal charges despite remaining under investigation.
Among those he identified were former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero during the period the controversy unfolded, former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, officials of the former Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, and former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who has since become a state witness.
Tinio argued that the continued absence of criminal charges against senior officials has fueled public speculation that political alliances are influencing the direction of the investigation.
He said protecting key administration allies ultimately shields the President from deeper scrutiny over the alleged misuse of public funds.
Responding to the accusations, lawyer Ade Fajardo, counsel for former Speaker Martin Romualdez, maintained that there is no evidence linking his client to the alleged flood control anomalies.
Fajardo stressed that no preliminary investigation has yet been initiated against Romualdez and that the case remains in its fact-finding stage.
“There is absolutely no evidence implicating him in the alleged anomalies,” Fajardo said, adding that Romualdez voluntarily relinquished the House speakership to ensure that the investigation proceeds without political interference.
Last week, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla disclosed that the Office of the Ombudsman was nearing the filing of plunder charges against Romualdez as investigators continue to build cases arising from the alleged flood control scam.
The controversy has evolved into one of the Marcos administration’s most significant anti-corruption investigations, centering on allegations that billions of pesos intended for flood mitigation projects were diverted through fraudulent contracts, overpriced infrastructure, and projects that were either poorly executed or never completed.
ia/xf
