Philippine President Marcos says seven arrested over corruption scandal

According to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., seven people have been detained in the Philippines as part of an investigation into a sizable corruption scandal involving flood control projects in the Southeast Asian nation.

In the first of what are anticipated to be numerous inquiries into so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects, the Sandiganbayan, a special anticorruption court, has indicted more than a dozen people.

After thousands of people took to the streets of Manila in September to demand accountability, Marcos established a commission to look into the scandal, which the Department of Finance estimates cost the nation 118.5 billion pesos ($2 billion).

In a video message posted on Facebook on Monday, Marcos stated that seven suspects were still at large while two were on the lookout for surrender.

Marcos cautioned against doing the law that anyone who aids the fugitives in hiding would also be held accountable.

Marcos remarked, “To the rest, give up,” and he specifically referred to Zaldy Co, a former House of Representatives member, by name.

According to officials, Co’s family owns Sunwest Corporation, a construction company that was hired to construct a dam on the Mag-asawang Tubig River in Oriental Mindoro.

The court has been looking into the project’s 289 million pesos ($4.9 million) for the first time since the scandal was made public.

Co’s whereabouts, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, are unknown, but three other suspects may soon be flown back home to the Philippine embassies in the United States, New Zealand, and Jordan.

At a press conference where mug shots of the arrested suspects were shown with orange shirts, Remulla said, “No matter where you are in the world, we will find you.”

Eight Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, according to the Philippine media outlet Rappler, were already in police custody on Monday over the Oriental Mindoro case.

According to Rappler, they include two regional directors, an engineer, and an accountant for the bidding and awards committee.

Senators, house members, and wealthy construction company owners “jailed before Christmas,” according to Marcos, who has promised that dozens more criminal corruption lawsuits will result in their cases being “jailed before Christmas.”

The leading corruption suspects’ lavish lifestyles, mansions, suitcases of cash, and fleets of luxury cars and private jets have sparked widespread protests.

The dominant Roman Catholic Church supports an upcoming demonstration that is scheduled for November 30.

Representative Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin and key ally, who has resigned as speaker of the House of Representatives, is one of those who has been implicated. He has denied any involvement and has since resigned.

Francis Escudero, a former member of the Senate, has also been accused of stealing kickbacks. He has resigned from his position, but he has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

deadly floods

The island nation, which has some 7 641 islands, is extremely prone to flooding, with poor communities reporting that their homes have been destroyed by the corruption scandal.

More than 250 people were killed earlier this month when two super typhoons slammed into the Philippines one week later.