Full accountability, no less

The Court of Appeals has ordered the freezing of 135 bank accounts and 27 insurance policies belonging to public works officials and contractors involved in the anomalous flood-control projects following a petition by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

The AMLC’s petition, a Palace source said, was prompted by Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon’s request for assistance in stopping the movement of stolen funds.

The asset freezes add teeth by disrupting the financial lifelines of the accused and setting the stage for civil and criminal cases. This pivotal act could deter future scams and recover stolen funds amid the nation’s mounting debt.

This move is by far the most important in the series of actions President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has taken if he hopes to recover the people’s money and give substance to his campaign against this brazen theft of the national treasury.

The pressure is considered pivotal for the recent changes in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The chain of events that led to the breaking up of the cartel of corruption was triggered by the President blowing the whistle on the anomalies in the DPWH flood-control projects — apparently in connivance with some members of Congress.

In the last seven weeks since he rebuked the perpetrators of the perversion of the budget through pork insertions by admonishing them, “mahiya naman kayo,” in his State of the Nation Address, the lid was blown off and the crooks were exposed.

What now needs to be done through the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is to bring the masterminds, who are suspected to be lodged in Congress, to justice.

After the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website was launched to make known to the public all the flood-control projects funded in the last three years, more than 16,000 reports have been received that helped immensely in the investigations.

The contractors involved have been blocked and their licenses suspended, which occurred after the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board underwent a revamp.

Lifestyle checks on government officials and employees suspected of involvement are ongoing, including putting them on a travel watch list.

Former DPWH Secretary Manny Bonoan resigned and was replaced by the indefatigable Vince Dizon, whose first act was to fire or suspend the engineers involved and file charges against them, as well as the contractors, before the Ombudsman.

The Bureau of Customs, meanwhile, seized Sarah Discaya’s luxury cars.

The President issued Executive Order 94, creating the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to conduct a thorough investigation, and pinned hopes that real justice would be served.

The ICI is composed of persons of unimpeachable integrity and proven competence. Creating an independent body outside the investigating agencies was an acknowledgement of the systemic rot in the bodies conducting the investigations, including Congress.

The public aspiration is that the ICI would be the impartial body that would wage war against corruption in a country where such scandals historically fade without resolution.

Filipinos deserve more than flood-prone streets and empty promises; they need a government that drains the swamp of graft once and for all.

As the probes unfold, many expect the tide to turn or else the promised accountability would be considered a scam in itself.