All PR, lawmaker says of BBM’s graft stance

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has expressed confidence that his administration and Congress can produce a “good, clean budget” for 2026 as both chambers resume deliberations on the national spending plan.

Fresh from the ASEAN and APEC summits, Marcos said lawmakers have already identified possible savings and pledged to reallocate those funds to social services.

“Even now, upon resumption of the budget hearings, many have seen in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that we can have more savings,” Marcos said. “I think we will be able to show that it is, in fact, possible to write a good, clean budget.”

But even before Marcos made that assurance, at least one lawmaker said the public is not buying the President’s spiel.

Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando bluntly dismissed the President’s statement as public relations (PR) theater, saying the main problem is a lack of prosecutions.

“The public perception and my perception of PBBM is all PR, as no one is being held accountable,” San Fernando said, translated from Filipino.

He added that while he shares the President’s anger over the flood control scandal, emotion alone is not enough for a Chief Executive.

“I can feel his sadness, that he is tearing up, he is angry. I, too, am angry, and tearing up; billions of pesos are being talked about here; who wouldn’t cry?” San Fernando said.

‘Nothing happening’

But he urged action over sympathy as he challenged Marcos to go beyond statements.

“If he’s really serious about this, as the executive, as the President, he can do that. There’s already one who was sent to the ICC,” he said, apparently referencing former President Rodrigo Duterte facing charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

San Fernando pressed for equal enforcement regardless of ties to the Palace.

“It’s a challenge to the President: even if it’s your cousin, relative, political ally — if you’re really serious, detain them,” San Fernando said.

The lawmaker was apparently referring to, among others, the President’s cousin, former Speaker Martin Romualdez, who had been accused of receiving billions of pesos as kickbacks from non-existent flood control projects.

“The request of the workers and ordinary people is simple: all individuals involved in flood control should answer to the law, request their assets, and up until now nothing is happening,” he added.

But Marcos has insisted that his administration is pushing for systemic reforms to make it harder for officials to exploit government processes.

“No matter what you do, they will find ways to fool the government. But if the systems are in place, you make it harder and harder for those people to do the stealing,” Marcos said. “The harder it becomes, the smaller the number of people who are still operating under corrupt practices.”

Public impatience

He acknowledged the fight against corruption is an ongoing task. “It’s not something that you can solve with one fell swoop,” he said.

Earlier, Marcos told reporters he had ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to slash construction material costs by up to 50 percent — a cut he said could yield P30 billion to P45 billion for health, education, and food security.

Just the same, San Fernando’s frustration echoed public impatience after months of revelations about anomalous flood control projects.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure has recommended several high-profile names to the Office of the Ombudsman, which said the first batch of complaints will reach the Sandiganbayan on or before 25 November and will include officials with Salary Grade 27 and above.