Marcos soon to create commission to probe flood control projects

MANILA, Philippines — Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said he would create an independent commission that would look into anomalies connected to the government’s flood control projects. “We are putting together the EO (executive order) that will create the independent commission. The independent commission will be the investigative arm so that they will continue to investigate whatever information is received,” Marcos said in a media interview in Pasay City. The chief executive said the commission will make recommendations on how to proceed against liable parties, and whether to file cases with the Office of the Ombudsman or the Department of Justice (DOJ). “They will recommend to the executive what to do with certain parties who have been found to be part of all of this corruption that's been going, not only in flood control but all of the workings within DPWH,” he said. Underscoring the wide scope of the independent commission’s tasks and the sternness of his administration’s commitment to addressing corruption, Marcos said he wants it to be comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds and expertise. “We haven't put the structure together yet. But the names... we need forensic investigators; we need lawyers, justices, (and) prosecutors who will look at the evidence and look at the information that we have and they will put together that information and make the recommendation to either DOJ or the Ombudsman depending on who is found to be liable for some of these nefarious activities,” he said.