By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has no direct knowledge of the alleged kickback scheme in the flood control projects, Malacañang said on Friday.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro refuted claims that Marcos is aware of the alleged irregularities in government-funded flood mitigation projects, calling it a mere lie intended to besmirch the President.
Castro maintained that Marcos remains committed to pursuing accountability and transparency in the flood control scandal.
“Sa ngayon po, ang anumang pinapahid na isyu ng korapsiyon sa Pangulo ay atin pong pinasisinungalingan (Right now, we are currently denying any corruption issue that is being leveled at the President),” she said.
“Nakatuon po ngayon ang Pangulo sa pagtatrabaho para paunlarin ang ating bansa. Ang anumang paninira nang walang anumang basehan ay hindi dapat nagamit or magamit na armas para pahinain ang tiwala ng taumbayan sa ating gobyerno (The President is now focused on working to develop our country. Any baseless accusations should not be used or used as a weapon to undermine the people’s trust in our government),” Castro added.
The Palace official issued the statement in response to the supposed exchange of text messages between Marcos and former Presidential Legislative Liaison Office chief Adrian Bersamin, containing details of the President’s alleged knowledge of the kickback scheme.
She refused to give a categorical statement on the allegations against Marcos, unless substantiated.
“Papaano po natin mabibigyan ng tamang kasagutan/matalinong kasagutan kung wala naman po tayong nakikita (How can we give the right answer/intelligent answer if we don’t see anything),” Castro said.
Nevertheless, she said the Palace would respect Congress’s plan to initiate an investigation into the alleged records of communication between Marcos and Bersamin.
Asked if Marcos has a plan to encourage former officials involved in the controversy to speak up, Castro said there is no attempt to force anyone to testify and shed light on the matter. (PNA)
