Targeting majority? Marcos says cases vs. senators result of flood control probe

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. denied Friday allegations that the administration is targeting the 13-man Senate majority bloc, saying the legal cases filed against some of them were part of the results of the flood control investigation.

In an interview in Japan, Marcos pointed out that the investigations involving some lawmakers began even before the change in leadership at the Senate on May 11, when the current majority bloc was formed.

“Hindi ko alam kung paano napunta na sinasabi na ‘yung majority ngayon ang tina-target. Dahil kung tutuusin ninyo, hindi sila majority noon. So, that does not apply. It was because of the allegations that were made and the investigations that were conducted upon learning of those allegations against kung sino man (whoever),” the President.

(I don't know where the allegations that the new majority is being targeted came from. They weren't even the majority before. So, that does not apply. It was because of the allegations that were made and the investigations that were conducted upon learning that some senators were linked.)

“And kung ano man ang naging alignment sa Senado, walang kinalaman ‘yun. Ito pa rin ang mga tao na lumabas ang mga pangalan doon sa… Kung titingnan ninyo, kung saan pinagbabasehan lahat itong mga ito ay doon sa testimonya sa Blue Ribbon Committee. Doon naman lumabas lahat ito,” he added.

(It has nothing to do with it with the current alignment at the Senate. These are the same people whose names appeared in the investigation. If you would look at it, all of these came from the testimonies during the hearings of the Blue Ribbon Committee.)

Marcos said the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, previously chaired by Senator Panfilo Lacson, merely gave its findings to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice.

He stressed that the investigations and findings of various government agencies had nothing to do with who is in the Senate minority or majority bloc.

“Almost a year ago, ang sinabi ko sa (taumbayan), kailangan malaman ng buong (taumbayan) ang buong katotohanan,” the President said.

(Almost a year ago, I said the whole nation needs to know the whole truth.)

“Noong pinag-aaralan ng Ombudsman, ng Department of Justice, lahat ng mga alegasyon na dumating dahil sa flood control, maraming nagsasabi, bakit wala pang nangyayari? Bakit ang tagal ninyo? Namimili lang yata kayo kung sino ‘yung ipo-prosecute ninyo. Ngayon, nandito na at dahan dahan lumalabas na ang katotohanan,” the President said.

(When the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice were doing their investigations on flood control, many were asking, why hasn't anything happened yet? Why is it taking you so long? Were we just picking and choosing who to prosecute? Now, the truth is here and slowly coming out.)

Marcos said that if the senators linked to the controversy believe they did nothing wrong, then the truth will come out eventually.

“Ang pinakamaganda, kung talagang may kaso, kung sila ba naman ay walang ginawang mali, ay lalabas naman ‘yan sa pagsusuri ng paghusga,” he explained.

(The good thing about this is, if there is a case against them and they really did nothing wrong, that will come out in the judicial review.)

Hand in Senate leadership change?

Marcos, a former senator, also denied he had any hand when it comes to the changes in the Senate leadership.

“Malacañang doesn't give a rubber stamp to the Senate President. The Senate President is decided by the senators themselves,” he said.

“Is he implying that I somehow choose the Senate President? I think you ask any senator. Me, as a former senator, I will laugh in your face because that's simply not true. Uutusan mo ‘yung senador na ito ‘yung iboboto mo? Parang out of this world ‘yata ‘yung mga usapang ganoon,” he continued.

(I would tell the senators to vote for someone? Those kinds of allegations seem out of this world.)

Marcos said this in response to the claim of Senator Rodante Marcoleta that the Senate presidency of Alan Peter Cayetano is the only one without Malacañang’s blessing. — RSJ, GMA News