Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) chair Andres Reyes has called on Filipino people to love their countrymen as he lamented about ‘greed’ and ‘selfishness’ amidst the commission’s ongoing investigation into the flood control anomalies.
This came after Reyes announced the commission’s submission of its fourth referral to the Office of the Ombudsman, recommending an investigation into former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), including former Secretary Manuel Bonoan, due to irregularities in a P95-million flood control project in Bocaue, Bulacan.
After reading his statement about the referral, the ICI chief held a placard that reads, ‘What the world needs now is love, not greed, not selfishness.’
When asked about his reason for holding the message, Reyes answered, ‘We need to love our country. We need to love our countrymen. You know, we need to love one another.’
Reyes said it would be better for people to share with others, especially with the less fortunate, and help the government make the country better.
‘If you have extra money, help the poor. If you have time, help the government.Do not be greedy that you hide all the money, that you don’t share it,’ he said in Filipino.
‘Because it seems to us that we want to be greedy; everything is ours. If you have three shoes, isn’t that enough, rather than having five shoes?’ Reyes pointed out.
‘I mean, sometimes, we have to realize that we are not a rich country. So, we have to save. We have to save so that the money that went to the bank can go to development. But if we just buy imported things, we have to understand that we have poor people who can live on a pair of nice shoes,’ he further said.
Created in September, the ICI is currently investigating the alleged anomalies in the multibillion-peso flood control projects across the country.