Robin Padilla gives 'failing grade' to Marcos admin's flood control response

Senator Robinhood Padilla on Sunday gave the Marcos administration a failing grade for its response to the country's flood control anomalies, citing the low number of detentions so far. "I would give it a grade of two. There are still floods, and only a few people were detained," Padilla told Super Radyo dzBB. The senator added that the investigation on the flood control scandal should not be selective. "There are a lot of people on the list. First, I think the detainment of Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former Senator Bong Revilla is about politics," Padilla said. "Investigate everyone. Let's not be selective. Let's not be political. Our country was fought for by our heroes so that we could have justice. Where is that justice now?" he added. Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito shared the same sentiment, hoping that more names linked to the flood control mess would be detained. "What I want to hear is the answer to that statement saying, ‘You should be ashamed.’ I hope that someone can finally be named," said Ejercito, who is Estrada's half-brother. "I hope more people will be charged in connection with the flood control scam. For me, everyone who wasted and pocketed the funds allocated for flood control should be held accountable and sent to prison," he added. Addressing economic, political, social issues On the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council agenda, Padilla said issues such as the Freedom of Information measure and the proposal to prohibit those aged 16 and below from using social media should also be tackled. Meanwhile, for Ejercito, the country's infrastructure development should catch up to boost the economy. "The country needs infrastructure development to boost our economy. We need to improve our infrastructure, railway system, airports, and ports," Ejercito said. "We will hit two birds with one stone. If we have a master plan for infrastructure and national development, we can avoid these anomalies like projects that are not needed," he added. Despite supporting Charter Change, Padilla said he has reservations about pushing for it at this time, as it may be interpreted as an attempt to extend terms of office. "If they decide to do that now, of course I will support it because that is something I have been fighting for. But no one who is currently in office should benefit from it. There should be no beneficiaries among those in power now, so that we can ensure fairness," the senator said. VP Sara impeachment Padilla also committed to assessing Vice President Sara Duterte based on the pieces of evidence of her impeachment trial. "Of course, that’s natural. We speak up in these proceedings to find out what really happened. If I were just sitting there and not saying anything, that’s when you should start to doubt me. But as long as I continue to dig for the truth, what is there to question?" Padilla said. He also pointed out that fairness should prevail in the impeachment trial. "When I said that we should open our bank records, what I meant was that we should not be one-sided. Should it be only the Vice President who will disclose her records?" the senator asked. There will be no impeachment proceedings on Monday, July 27 to pave way for Marcos's SONA. No trial will also be held on Tuesday, July 28 for the traditional Kontra-SONA (Counter-SONA) by the Senate minority. The impeachment trial will resume on Wednesday, July 29, with its new schedule from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Day 9 of the Vice President's impeachment trial concluded with the House prosecution panel contracting for the alleged assassinations of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Former Speaker Martin Romualdez. The panel’s presentation concluded with National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag serving as its last witness. Matibag said the Vice President “consummated betrayal of public trust" when she said publicly that she hired someone to kill Marcos and others if she were killed. —RF, GMA News