Palace: President Marcos Open to Any Evidence Linking Him to Flood Control Anomalies

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro clarified that President Marcos will not object to any clear evidence linking him to the ongoing flood control anomalies investigations.

"Ang ICI po ay isang independent commission. Kung ano po ang maibibigay sa kanilang maliwanag na ebidensya, wala naman pong pagtututol ang Pangulo diyan (The ICI is an independent commission. Whatever clear evidence is presented to them, the President has no objection to that)," Castro said during a Palace briefing on Monday, Dec. 1.

She further stated, "Kung sasabihin po natin na command responsibility, siguro magbigay na lang po sila kung paano nila mail-link ang Pangulo patungkol dito (If we are to invoke command responsibility, then perhaps they should explain how they can link the President to this anomalies)."

During recent calls for accountability, some have urged that the President be held responsible either through direct links or command responsibility. However, Castro emphasized that it was President Marcos who exposed the multi-billion peso anomalies and initiated the Independent Commission of Inquiry (ICI).

"Tandaan po natin ang Pangulo ang nagpasimula nito. Hindi mabubukas ang ating isipin, hindi mabubukas ang ating mga mata, hindi mabubukas ang ating tenga kung hindi mismo si Pangulong Marcos Jr. ang nagpasimula ng pag-iimbestiga na ito. Nais ng Pangulo na managot ang dapat na managot (Let us remember that it was the President who initiated this. Our minds would not have been opened, our eyes would not have been opened, our ears would not have been opened if President Marcos Jr. himself had not started this investigation. The President wants those who should be held accountable to be held accountable)," she said.

Addressing claims that the President is at his "weakest" amid the scandal, Castro refuted this by highlighting the numerous arrests and charges pressed following the investigation.

"At his weakest? Ito pa bang panahon na 'to na siya po ang nagpaimbestiga. Hanggang ngayon po, maraming ginagawa ng aksyon para mapanagot ang dapat na mapanagot (Is this really the time to say that, when he himself ordered an investigation? Up to now, he has been taking many actions to hold the right people accountable)," she said.

"Ang dami na po na napaaresto. Marami na po rin na kinasuhan. Marami na po na naibalik na pondo. Ito pa ba yung weakest na masasabi natin? Meron na pong kilala, mga maimpluwensyang tao na ngayon ay nakakulong na. 'Yan pa po ba ang masasabi natin at his weakest (So many have already been arrested. Many have been charged. A lot of funds have been recovered. Would we still call that his weakest? Well-known and influential people are now in jail. Can we really say that he is at his weakest)," Castro pointed out.

The Palace official also noted the difficulties that would arise if calls for the President to step down were to be heeded. "It is easy to shout for someone to step down from their position, but handling the aftermath and how the government would be led afterward is significantly challenging," she added. ❤️