Marcos seeks charges vs 8 lawmakers in flood-control scandal

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said the government would endorse to the Office of the Ombudsman plunder, graft, bribery and conflict-of-interest charges against eight lawmakers who allegedly own construction firms with government contracts — escalating his administration’s crackdown on the multibillion-peso flood-control scandal.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) would submit evidence to the Office of the Ombudsman to bolster the charges, he said in a video message released on Wednesday.

“This is only the beginning,” Mr. Marcos said, adding that more assets would be frozen as the government seeks to recover public funds.

The statement came as the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) secured two more freeze orders, bringing the total value of assets locked in the controversy to about P12 billion.

The freeze orders covered some P4 billion worth of air assets linked to former Party-list Rep. Elizaldy S. Co, as well as 3,566 bank accounts, 198 insurance policies, 247 motor vehicles, 178 real properties and 16 e-wallet accounts.

Mr. Marcos separately accused Mr. Co’s camp of trying to blackmail the government into stopping the cancellation of his passport.

He said a lawyer of the resigned congressman, who is overseas, had approached officials with an offer to withhold a planned video unless authorities reversed the move.

“I do not negotiate with criminals,” he said in mixed English and Filipino. “Even if you release your video of lies to destabilize the government, your passport will still be canceled. You cannot escape justice.”

Mr. Co has posted a series of videos accusing Mr. Marcos and senior officials of graft after the administration launched a sweeping probe into alleged anomalies in flood-control contracts.

His accusations preceded the departure of former Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin and former Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman.

The Ombudsman is expected to assess the charges once the ICI and DPWH submit their findings, a step that would formally place the implicated lawmakers under the chief graft buster’s investigation. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana