00:00All the talk, discoveries, oversight, and all other efforts expended to resolve the flood control mess over the last three and a half months will be for naught if no one is held into account.
00:10Thus, the president yielding to mounting public clamor has vowed to put dozens of suspects charged in the FCP mess during time and the slammer by Christmas Day.
00:21Our Kenneth Pasciente puts the woe, woe, woe in their yuletide greetings in this story.
00:25They're going to die. They don't have a Merry Christmas. Before Christmas, they're going to die.
00:55The first criminal cases were filed last September 8 against certain DPWH projects based on special audit reports from the Commission on Audit.
01:06Among those charged were former officials of the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, Henry Alcantara, Bryce Hernandez, JP Mendoza, John Michael Ramos, and Ernesto Galang.
01:17Also included in the complaints were private individuals from St. Timothy Construction, Wawaw Builders, Sims Construction Trading, and IM Construction Corporation.
01:27The president also said that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, or ICI, has already submitted 37 additional case referrals to the Office of the Ombudsman.
01:36Nag-sumiti na ang ICI sa Office of the Ombudsman ng criminal at administrative cases laban sa 37 individual na konektado sa mga manumaliyang FCPs.
01:49Kabilang dito, mga kasong graft and corruption, malversation, falsification, plunder, paglabag sa code of conduct for public officers.
01:58Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez is not among those included in the complaints, but the president assured,
02:04Not as yet. If something else comes out, then he might have to be answerable for something.
02:10Regarding the cancellation of the passport of former Ako Bicol Partilist Representative Zaldico,
02:15the president clarified that it cannot yet be done since no case has been filed against him.
02:21However,
02:22When that time comes, we will immediately cancel his passport.
02:29I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not the best person to explain it.
02:33But that's the procedure.
02:35You have to give grounds for the cancellation of the passport.
02:39And those grounds will be based on the cases that will be filed against him.
02:48The president also noted that becoming a state witness is always an option for an accused person,
02:54provided that he or she is not the most guilty in a case.
02:57When asked if he believes Zaldico is the most guilty,
02:59President Marcos Jr. again stressed that the investigation into the corruption allegations in flood control projects
03:16is being conducted thoroughly.
03:18He said he doesn't want cases to be filed hastily only to be dismissed later due to insufficient evidence.
03:25He emphasized that it's better to be sure than to rush.
03:27We are afraid that we know that we are really able to do this situation in the case of a legal technicality.
03:43Because we are not able to do this situation in the case of a legal technicality.
03:46Because we are not able to do these cases in the case of a legal technicality.
03:50Or, if we forgot to write a document,
03:54it's a strange thing that we have put in the case,
03:57because of the case.
03:58So, you know, it's true.
04:01So, let's say,
04:04if we have a case,
04:07until the end of the case,
04:11we have a case.
04:13And if we have guilty,
04:15we have a case.
04:17But even if the process takes some time,
04:27the President made one thing clear.
04:29Kenneth,
04:34ito,
04:36na nagnanakaw ng pera ng bayan,
04:39tapos na ang maliligayan ninyong araw.
04:43Hahabulin na namin kayo.
04:45Kenneth Pasyente,
04:47from The National TV,
04:49for a new and better Philippines.
