Tinio: Where are other ‘big fish’ in flood works investigation?

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the arrest of an incumbent senator, a former senator and a former Cabinet secretary, there are still other “big fish” allegedly involved in the public works scandal who should be joining them in jail. This was the assessment of Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, who criticized what he called the Marcos administration’s “selective prosecution” in the multibillion-peso kickback scheme involving flood mitigation structures, saying the “principal architects” remain scot-free. “There is selective prosecution and selective accountability, based only on whether one is an ally or an opponent of the administration … and that is the prevailing public perception today,” Tinio said in a statement in Filipino. “Those jailed bear responsibility, but the public believes they are not the most accountable for the flood control corruption.” “The crucial question now is what if the biggest fish is President Bongbong Marcos himself?” he asked. Tinio cast doubts on the administration’s crackdown, noting that those who have been detained appear not to be allies of the Marcoses. In his fourth State of the Nation Address last year, Mr. Marcos exposed a massive corruption scheme where politicians, state engineers and private contractors colluded to siphon public funds through substandard or nonexistent projects—a scandal that has since emerged as his administration’s biggest challenge. Arrests have so far been limited to a few, such as Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., contractor-couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya and several engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Tinio said top officials, including former Speaker Martin Romualdez, the President’s cousin, and Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who was Senate President when the scandal erupted, have largely been spared even as they remain under investigation by the Sandiganbayan. Even former Cabinet members, including ex‑Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and the former head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, have escaped the fallout, along with former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who has since turned state witness, he added. Tinio said the absence of charges against top officials may point to a more sinister possibility—the graft scandal reaches all the way to the President, and shielding his allies is meant to keep him from being dragged into the mess. “Under the President’s leadership, they should be held primarily accountable. Yet they are not being charged—first, because Marcos must protect his allies; and second, because he must protect himself,” he said. In a separate statement, Romualdez’s lawyer said the former Speaker was prepared to face the complaints that the Office of the Ombudsman may file against him. Lawyer Ade Fajardo, however, pointed out that there has been no evidence implicating Romualdez in the scandal, despite claims he helped channel funds to dubious projects in the annual budgets when he was still House leader. “There is truly no proof or evidence against him in the flood control anomalies. There is not even a preliminary investigation yet, as the case remains in buildup status,” he said in Filipino. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said last Friday his office was “very close” to filing plunder charges against Romualdez. “The former Speaker is not evading accountability in facing all of this. He voluntarily stepped down as Speaker to give way to the investigation,” Fajardo said. /cb