Malacañang has stood firm that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. bears no responsibility in the alleged irregularities tied to flood control projects.
In a Palace briefing, Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked directly whether the administration considers the President “blameless” in the issue that has implicated several officials.
“Opo, dahil hindi po maglalakas ng loob ang Pangulo na siya pa mismo ang magpapaimbestiga kung alam niya sa sarili niya na mayroon siyang maling ginawa,” Castro said.
Questions were also raised over command responsibility since Marcos approved the 2025 national budget and appointed the officials now under scrutiny. Castro emphasized that the President relied on both his Cabinet and his economic team when making those decisions.
“Unang-una po, pinirmahan po niya ’yan may mga naveto, inaral po ’yan ng economic team at nandodoon po ang kanyang paniniwala sa mga isinasaad at sinasabi ng kanyang Cabinet secretaries,” she explained. “So with that, naipakita ’yung supposed to be projects at ’yan po ay kanyang pinirmahan sa paniniwalang ’yan ay gagawin.”
Castro added that once Marcos discovered signs of irregularities, he quickly ordered an investigation.
During his fourth State of the Nation Address last July 28, Marcos vowed to take action against government officials who benefited from infrastructure projects, particularly flood control programs. He has since created an Independent Commission for Infrastructure to examine the anomalies.
