President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rejected allegations linking him to the alleged flood control corruption scandal, saying he was the one who exposed the issue and initiated efforts to hold those responsible accountable.
Speaking to reporters in Vancouver after his four-day official visit to Canada, Marcos said the controversy would not have come to light had he not raised it during his 2025 State of the Nation Address.
“I’m the one who exposed all of this, and I’m the only one that has started to do anything about this,” Marcos said.
The President maintained that previous administrations failed to act on the alleged anomalies, saying it was only under his administration that investigations were launched, bank accounts were frozen, and cases were pursued.
“Tapos sasabihin, ako daw ang may kagagawan. Eh kung talagang racket ko ‘yun, ba’t ko sisiraan yung racket ko? That makes absolutely no sense,” he said.
Marcos said the investigation is still ongoing a year after he first disclosed the alleged corruption scheme, adding that authorities continue to uncover more irregularities.
He noted that former Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando “Nonoy” Andaya Jr. had already raised concerns about the alleged P300-billion flood control anomaly as early as 2018.
The President also said former President Rodrigo Duterte had acknowledged the existence of corruption in flood control projects but claimed no one was held accountable at the time.
Marcos described the controversy as a “deep-seated system of corruption” that requires both structural reforms and a change in attitude to address.
Meanwhile, Marcos said he would leave it to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to decide whether former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan should be turned into a state witness in the ongoing flood control cases.
“I have complete faith in the Ombudsman and what he’s doing,” Marcos said.
