MANILA: Philippine prosecutors filed on Tuesday (Nov 18) the first criminal charges in a sweeping corruption scandal over bogus flood control projects, promising “many” more indictments in the case that has prompted public ire and protests.
Rage over so-called ghost infrastructure, believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, has been building for months, ever since President Ferdinand Marcos put the issue on centre stage in a July address after weeks of deadly flooding.
Scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers in the archipelago country have been accused of pocketing funds for substandard projects.
On Tuesday, the ombudsman’s office unveiled charges against former congressman Elizaldy Co, public works officials and members of a construction firm over their ties to a “grossly” substandard road dike in Oriental Mindoro province.
The charges include falsification of documents, misuse of public funds and graft law violations.
“Public funds were meant to protect communities from flooding, not to enrich officials or private contractors,” ombudsman spokesman Mico Clavano told a press briefing.
He said the department was acting on the first case submitted by an independent commission, with more in the preliminary investigation stage.
“This is the first of many cases that will be filed in court,” he said.
The announcement comes a day after Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a church that has historically been a powerful voting bloc with ties to the Duterte political dynasty, concluded back-to-back rallies in Manila that drew hundreds of thousands of people.
The rallies saw INC leaders allude to “emerging evidence” in the case, and featured videos that Co – who has gone into hiding – released from abroad, accusing Marcos of masterminding the corruption.
Source: CNA
