President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a stinging rebuke to corrupt officials and contractors during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, vowing that those behind substandard or ghost flood control projects would soon face charges.
In his speech at the House of Representatives, Marcos condemned what he described as rampant collusion to pocket public funds, warning that investigations would bring accountability by next month. The President’s remarks came after weeks of heavy rains and flooding across the country.
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Demanding Accountability
“Let’s stop pretending,” Marcos declared in Filipino. “The public knows full well that there are people making money off these projects.”
He recounted seeing the damage left by recent typhoons, saying, “Recently, I inspected the effects of the southwest monsoon, cyclones Crising, Dante and Emong. I clearly saw for myself that many flood control projects were failures–they crumbled, and then, there were others that were existing just in the imagination.”
Calling out those who siphoned funds meant to protect communities.
“So to those conspiring to steal public funds and rob our citizens of their future—have some shame,” Marcos said bluntly.
He urged them to feel guilt “for the families whose homes were washed away or submerged in the floods” and especially “for our children, who will inherit the debt you incurred from the money you stole.”
Concrete Steps and Warnings
To strengthen oversight, Marcos ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to provide a list of flood control projects from the past three years. This list will be reviewed by the Regional Project Monitoring Committee, identifying failed, incomplete, or ghost projects.
“And third, we will publish this list… so that people who witness the construction of these projects can freely scrutinize the list and share what they know that will help in our investigations,” he announced.
The President also ordered an audit and performance review to trace where taxpayers’ money went, stressing that “charges will be filed against all who are found guilty through the investigation, including the colluding contractors nationwide.”
As part of wider reforms, Marcos said he would return any proposed national budget not aligned with the government’s spending plan, even if it led to a reenacted budget.
By promising transparency and accountability, Marcos closed his address with a forceful message: the misuse of public funds will no longer be tolerated.
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