Public urged: Keep up 'non-violent' pressure on gov't

The public must stay outraged but non-violent to keep the pressure on the government as it pursues accountability in the flood-control scandal, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said Saturday.

Lacson said Malacanang, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice cannot afford to ease up even after the issuance of arrest warrants against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co and several others tied to anomalous flood control projects.

"I don't want public outrage to lessen, so long as people remain non-violent. If public anger diminishes, the government might slacken (its) efforts,” he said, adding that the initial results in the fight for accountability are due to pressure from the citizens.

“But this is so long as the outrage does not turn violent, like the Sept. 21 protest where some protesters damaged some traffic lights," he said in Filipino.

Personalities who are behind this corruption scandal would be emboldened to try again if they get away with their actions, said Lacson, chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

"No matter how many, no matter how long it takes, get to the bottom to achieve the logical conclusion," he said in an interview on radio station dwIZ.

'Gov't taking action'

On Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. announced that warrants of arrest have been issued against Co and 17 other co-accused in the flood control projects controversy.

Among those served with arrest warrants are officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and directors of Sunwest Corp., the firm behind flood control projects that were identified as anomalous.

According to Lacson, the issuance of arrest warrants by the Ombudsman and the national government “showed they are taking action,” purportedly disputing earlier speculation that Co is untouchable.

Reports of Co being sighted in Japan also tend to show that the International Police (InterPol) is watching his moves, and can arrest him once it receives a copy of his arrest warrant.

"He has to ride a plane and pass through immigration, so he can be tracked. He just cannot be arrested as of now because he is not yet on the Interpol's red notice list, since they have no copy of his arrest warrant,” he said.

“Still, he's on their radar," Lacson added.

Emboldened

He said fund insertions in previous years continued with the 2025 budget because those involved thought they could get away with it, the senator said.

He cited the revelations involving former undersecretaries Adrian Bersamin and Trygve Olaivar, who allegedly caused the insertion of P100 billion into the 2025 budget law, based on testimonies by former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.

Lacson said that in 2024, P50 billion was also inserted in the national budget of that year under unprogrammed appropriations for various infrastructure projects, including P30 billion for flood control projects.

"The DBM caused the release of that amount, possibly in coordination with the Office of the Executive Secretary," he said.

"From what I know, they got away with it, so they were emboldened to try it again in 2025."

The list of projects to be funded was supposedly drawn up by then DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, and discussed with then Secretary Manuel Bonoan and Bernardo.

Lacson estimates that the number of personalities who could be implicated in the flood control scandal could reach 2,000 or higher.

"It's so widespread that not just 1,200 could be implicated. It could be 2,000 or more," Lacson said.

He said the 1,200 initially estimated by Independent Commission for Infrastructure Commissioner Rogelio Singson is based only on the 420 ghost projects out of 8,000 initially inspected.

During the last Blue Ribbon hearing, he said the number of suspected ghost projects had gone up to about 472.—MCG, GMA Integrated News