Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos is accused of siphoning billions in flood control funds to allies in a new impeachment complaint filed by civil society groups.
MANILA: Civil society groups have filed an impeachment complaint against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, alleging he orchestrated a scheme to divert billions in flood control funds.
The complaint, endorsed by the left-wing Makabayan bloc, accuses Marcos of betraying public trust by packing the national budget with “ghost” infrastructure projects. It claims over 545.6 billion pesos (USD 9.2 billion) meant for flood control was siphoned to favoured cronies and contractors.
“The President institutionalized a mechanism to siphon over ?545.6 billion ($9.2 billion) in flood control funds, directing them into the hands of favored cronies and contractors and converting public coffers into a private war chest,” a summary of the filing states.
Rage over non-existent projects has grown after powerful typhoons flooded entire towns in the past year. The complaint also alleges Marcos directly solicited kickbacks, relying on unproven claims from a former congressman who fled the country.
Presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro declined to discuss the filing, noting Marcos was recovering from an undisclosed illness. “Let’s wait (to see) its contents, we cannot address that as of now if we don’t have the details,” she said.
Marcos has previously taken credit for pushing investigations into ghost projects that have implicated officials and lawmakers. Complainant Liza Maza dismissed this, telling reporters, “We think the investigation he initiated is just a cover-up. Because the truth is, he is the head of this corruption.”
A separate group with ties to former president Rodrigo Duterte also attempted to file an impeachment complaint on Thursday but left without submitting a copy. This follows another impeachment case filed earlier in the week citing Duterte’s arrest.
Political analyst Dennis Coronacion said the new complaint has little chance in a Congress dominated by Marcos allies. “(It) has a very slim chance of getting the approval of the House Committee on Justice… because the president still enjoys the support of the members,” he stated.
Under the constitution, the House must pass articles of impeachment to trigger a Senate trial for removal from office.
