KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the administration’s fight against corruption through the Independent Commission for Infrastructure has moved from the political arena to the legal arena.
The Chief Executive is aware of the calls for speedy legal procedures but has appealed for patience, as he wants the cases filed against those proven to be corrupt to stand.
“The legal arena has very strictly defined procedures,” Marcos said. “I get messages all day, every day: “Jail them! We know who are they. Jail them!” [or] “Get all of their money, sell their houses, return the… What would then I be accused of if we did that?” he said.
Marcos said cases should not be lost to a technicality.
“Eh, if they win, if they get acquitted, because the case was not well prepared?” he said. Can you imagine these people who have stolen billions from the government and from the people, getting away because the evidence was not handled well?
“That would be a much worse result. So, due process must be observed. We must make sure that we really know who they are. So let's make sure that they really go to jail and that what they stole is returned to the government, returned to the people,” he explained.
The President said that cases should be filed first, and that remains the most important part of the legal battle.
He also detailed the process by which the court works in the Philippines. He added that there are cases in which witnesses must be extracted and evidence gathered and vetted.
“They will pay for it with their liberty and they will pay for it with treasure that they have taken away from government. I think it's more important that we get one chance at this. There’s only one chance. We cannot waste that opportunity to bring those people to justice and to bring justice to the Filipino people,” he said.
“So, do you want to get it done quickly or do you want to get it done right? That's the choice that we have,” he added.
He also noted that the administration’s effort in pursuing justice is going well, albeit at a different pace.
Now that the ICI has heeded the call to livestream its investigation into corruption, Marcos said it will not affect the credibility of the process that the investigating body is trying to navigate.
“I don't think it has an effect on the credibility of the process,” he said.
“I think it's a practical matter, really because… The problem that the ICI has right now and when it comes to the issue of livestreaming and other issues is the rules are not formed yet,” he added.
Marcos pointed out that the ICI still needs to have a clear understanding of the best way to proceed.
“Will livestreaming help, will it not? So, we will just have to wait for the ICI to make that decision for themselves,” he said.
But if one were to ask Marcos, he says he wants the investigation to be open for the public to see.
“I have an opinion, of course, But what I really want people to see is that I don't interfere – the executive, the government, doesn't interfere with that,” he said.
“We provide them a budget and we allow them to run everything the way they want, to hire the people that they want. And ‘all the substantial matters is up to them,” he added.
“We really respect the first I in ICI - “Independent”, Independent Commission on Infrastructure,” he further said.