By ARGYLL GEDUCOS
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed loyalty to the Filipino people—not to family or allies—as he pushed his anti‑corruption campaign in his fifth State of the Nation Address, admitting the flood control probe has reached his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Marcos disclosed that, according to the Ombudsman, multiple cases against a former House Speaker are now nearing filing.
“Masakit man sa akin ito, pero kailangan nating gawin ang tama,” he said. “Hindi ako pangulo ng aking pamilya. Hindi ako pangulo ng aking kaibigan. Ako ay Pangulo ng Pilipinas at ang tungkulin ko ay sa inyo, ang aking mga kapwa Pilipino.”
The President recalled that it had been a year since he first exposed corruption in flood control projects and said the administration fulfilled its promise to pursue those responsible.
“Gaya ng aking ipinangako sa inyo, nagsagawa tayo ng malawakan at mala‑limang imbestigasyon, na walang pagkiling kahit kanino man,” he said. “Masusi nating sinuri at sinundan kung saan tayo itinuro ng ebidensya. Lahat ng kailangang gawin ay ginawa natin upang matunton ang puno’t dulo.”
Marcos reported that contractors, senior Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, and lawmakers have already been charged and jailed.
Nearly P25 billion in assets linked to the accused have been recovered, frozen, or preserved, with more than P800 million returned to the National Treasury.
He stressed that all recovered assets will be returned to government coffers, while prosecutions are left to the Ombudsman and the strengthened National Prosecution Service.
Beyond criminal cases, Marcos said reforms are underway in the DPWH: hiring new graduates and career personnel, reviewing projects from planning to implementation, aligning construction material prices with market rates, and strengthening monitoring through the Transparency Portal, Integrity Chain, and civil society participation.
He credited citizen complaints via the “Isumbong sa Pangulo” platform for helping uncover anomalies. “Ang inyong pagbabantay at pakikialam sa pamahalaan ay ang susi sa paglaban sa katiwalian,” he said.
