Marcos: Gov't must file airtight raps vs guilty ones in corruption probe

The government must ensure that the charges against those suspected of involvement in corruption must be airtight and backed by solid proof so as to hold the “guilty ones" accountable,” President Ferdinand “Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said.

He made the remarks in a teaser of his next podcast uploaded on Sunday afternoon amid the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s probe of irregularities in flood control and infrastructure projects.

“We know many of these people are not innocent. But if you’re going to bring them to court, you must have a strong case,” Marcos said in an interview with the Manila Bulletin’s “The Sit Down” hosted by Philip CuUnjieng, the President’s childhood friend.

He then warned against filing weak cases that lack clear evidence to indict corrupt government officials as it would only lead to a “much, much worse” outcome.

“Look, ano’ng mangyayari – minadali natin, hindi kumpleto ang ebidensiya natin, malabo ang ebidensiya natin, pero pinilit natin, natalo ang kaso. Can you imagine? I think that will be much, much, much worse,” the President stressed.

He maintained that the government, in going after corrupt government officials and personalities, should always follow the law in holding them accountable for their actions.

“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,” Marcos added.

The Chief Executive made the remarks amid the ICI's ongoing investigation of anomalies linked to flood control projects and other infrastructure projects in the last decade.

Marcos first slammed the shamelessness of corrupt government officials and contractors in his State of the Nation Address in July, adding that he personally found out that some flood control projects were poorly done or non-existent in the first place. — JMA, GMA Integrated News