MANILA, Philippines – Sinabi ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., na nasa bakuran na ng kanyang mga kaalyado ang usapin ng flood control projects mess.
Ito ang inihayag ng Pangulo bilang tugon sa tila pangamba ng publiko sa kung ano ang magiging ‘endgame’ ng usaping ito o pangamba na ‘ma-off the hook” ang kanyang mga kaalyado sa kontrobersiyang ito.
“I think we’re already there,” ayon sa Pangulo sa isang panayam ng Manila Bulletin’s “The Sit Down” na hinost ni Philip Cu Unjieng, para sa kanyang bagong BBM Podcast.
“Why would I even start such a thing if it was of somehow for political advantage? The reason I brought it up and made it part of the national discourse was quite simply because this could not go on. Because if it kept going – by suddenly you discovered how deeply entrenched this entire system was. I mean, there’s always been a you know – a sniff and the suspicion of corruption in government, you know, the different… But not the scale. That was the shocking part. And I said this cannot,” aniya pa rin.
Giit ng Pangulo na walang mangyayari sa Pilipinas kung hindi sisingaw ang usapin ng ghost flood control projects.
“Wala na talagang mangyayari sa atin,” diing pahayag ng Pangulo.
Hindi aniya maayos na lalago ang ekonomiya, hindi anya matutulungan ang mga tao, hindi magiging maayos ang mga eskuwelahan, makakukuha ng tulong ang mga mamamayan, hindi magiging maayos ang mga ospital at wala aniyang mararating ang lahat.
“All of these were the things – will just disappear. And we will just make this little nation that’s feeding upon itself. And that’s why I brought it up.
And I will continue to bring it up because I do not see any point to anything that we are doing unless we move the country forward. If we resign ourselves to saying that, “Okay, well, we can’t do anything. I only have six years.” If you resign yourself to that, that I can’t do anything, you will not do anything.
And this is what we’ve seen over so many past decades. I didn’t want to be another one. I didn’t want to be a part of that kind of attitude, especially in terms of public service,” ayon sa Pangulo.
“NO” naman ang naging tugon ng Pangulo sa pangamba ng taumbayan na mapawawalang-sala ang mga opisyal ng pamahalaan na mga isinangkot sa korapsyon sa infrastructure projects dahil nagbitiw ang mga ito sa kanilang posisyon.
Binigyang diin ng Pangulo na hindi sapat na nagbitiw na sa tungkulin o posisyon ang mga isinangkot sa ghost flood control projects para hindi na madawit ang mga ito sa kontrobersiya.
“That’s not enough. That’s not enough. There is a great deal of damage that has been caused – not only financial damage or economic damage – but damage to – actual damage to people’s lives,” ang sinabi ng Punong Ehekutibo.
“I mean, very simple, a lousy flood control project that collapsed during the flood, that killed a family. I mean, how can you live with that? I can’t live with it. So, I won’t live with it. So, I – we’ll keep pushing,” aniya pa rin. (KRIS JOSE)
