MANILA: Philippine authorities have detained seven people in connection with a multi-billion-dollar graft case involving flood control projects, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday, as police seek another nine others named in arrest warrants.
The Philippines — one of the world’s most typhoon-vulnerable countries — has been gripped by the corruption scandal for the past few months, as investigations have uncovered massive irregularities in flood prevention and mitigation projects.
During a senate hearing in September, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said that economic losses may have averaged $2.1 billion a year from 2023 to 2025, mainly due to ghost projects.
As several powerful political figures have been found to be implicated, Marcos has established an independent commission led by a former supreme court justice and vowed to hold all wrongdoers accountable, regardless of their status.
After a two-month probe, the first group of more than a dozen suspects, including former lawmaker Zaldy Co and several government public works engineers, was indicted by a special anti-corruption court. Marcos had earlier promised that they would be in jail by Christmas.
“Of the 16 individuals named in three warrants, authorities have arrested seven, two are expected to surrender, and seven remain at large, including Zaldy Co,” he said in a video message on Monday.
“To all the remaining accused, my advice to you is: Surrender. Don’t wait to be chased down.”
Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon told reporters in Manila to expect many more arrests, as the first group of suspects was linked only to $4.8 million flood control projects in Oriental Mindoro province.
“We are now at the point where those responsible will be held accountable. This is just the start,” he said.
“Many more cases are coming. Many more will be charged. Many more will be arrested.”
Of the 545 billion pesos ($9.54 billion) allocated since 2022, thousands of initiatives were found to be substandard, lacking proper documentation, or nonexistent.
