At least 2,000 people involved in flood scam – Lacson

MANILA, Philippines — For Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, who exposed the ghost and substandard flood control projects in Oriental Mindoro and Bulacan, there are more people involved in the corruption scandal than the 1,200 personalities being investigated by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

He was reacting to ICI Commissioner Rogelio Singson’s statement that at least 1,200 people are criminally liable for the alleged kickbacks scheme, with 15 individuals involved per ghost project.

With a total of 472 ghost flood control projects inspected by the ICI, the people involved would surely be at least 2,000, Lacson said in a dwIZ interview yesterday.

The senator lauded the ICI’s move to recommend plunder, graft and bribery charges against President Marcos’ cousin, former speaker Martin Romualdez and resigned Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co, whose companies Hi-Tone Construction and Development and Sunwest, have been found involved in ghost projects.

Lacson expressed hope the government would not falter in pursuing cases against the suspects, including Co, who was already ordered arrested by the Sandiganbayan for a malversation and graft charge in connection with a ghost project by Sunwest in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

“I don’t want people’s outrage to die down. But I don’t want them to turn violent,” he said of the upcoming anti-corruption protests on Nov. 30.

“If the people’s outrage die down, authorities might slacken with their efforts. The government acted on this because of pressure from the people. No matter how many, how long it takes, we need to get to the bottom of this and find its logical conclusion – put people behind bars,” Lacson said.

His “very important witness” in the Blue Ribbon committee probe – former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Roberto Bernardo – has more up his sleeve in the corruption scheme, Lacson said.

Bernardo is bound to pin more people down as a requirement for his state witness application, he said.

Meanwhile, Lacson is seeing a “calibrated effort” from some quarters to muddle the issue of flood control.

He cited the speech delivered by Marcos’ own sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, before participants of the Nov. 17 Iglesia Ni Cristo rally in Luneta, where she accused her brother of incompetence and of being hooked on illegal drugs – a family matter that Lacson said should have been resolved privately.