PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has cautioned government investigators against filing half-baked cases in the ongoing probe of alleged irregularities in public infrastructure projects, saying that weak cases could end up protecting rather than punishing those involved.
Speaking in an interview teaser released Sunday, Marcos said filing cases without sufficient evidence would only expose lapses in due process and risk acquittals that could weaken public trust in the government’s anti-corruption campaign.
‘Look, what will happen is this: we rushed it, our evidence isn’t complete, our evidence is weak, but we forced it anyway-and then we lost the case. Can you imagine? I think that would be much, much, much, much worse,’ he said, partly in Filipino.
The President acknowledged that many individuals linked to questionable infrastructure spending ‘are not innocent,’ but said that guilt must be proven through evidence, not assumption.
‘We know many of these people are not innocent, but if you’re going to bring them to court, you must have a very strong case,’ Marcos said.
He also stressed that the government’s credibility hinges on its ability to follow the same laws it seeks to enforce.
‘We have to follow the law. Otherwise, whatever we do is not legitimate. And we have to be very, very clear that we go after the guilty ones,’ he added.
The warning comes as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has started probing alleged irregularities in flood control and other projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The body, created by the President last month, is tasked to look into the misuse of public funds in infrastructure spending, particularly projects that were either substandard or never completed in the last 10 years.
It is chaired by former Supreme Court Associate Justice Andres Reyes, with former Public Works Secretary Rogelio ‘Babes’ Singson and SGV and Co. country managing partner Rosanna Fajardo as members.
The creation of the ICI follows Marcos’s State of the Nation Address in July, where he publicly called out those behind questionable flood control projects.
The administration also later on launched the ‘Sumbong sa Pangulo’ platform to allow citizens to report defective or non-existent infrastructure projects in their communities.