The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
House Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima considered the P110 million in cash returned by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer Henry Alcantara only a small fraction of the trillions of pesos lost to kickbacks in flood-control projects.
De Lima urged other personalities implicated in the scheme to do the same.
She said the House Liberal Party (LP) bloc has filed a resolution (House Resolution No. 524) seeking an inquiry into “the status of recovering ill-gotten or unexplained wealth from those linked to what lawmakers describe as the country’s biggest corruption scandal.”
The House inquiry must be able to identify implementation gaps, ensure accountability, and recommend measures to strengthen government’s anti-corruption mechanisms, she added.
“This is still a small amount compared to the trillions of pesos that went into kickbacks and the pockets of those who colluded in anomalous projects. We urge other individuals involved in the flood control projects controversy to follow suit,” the lawmaker said in a statement.
She urged government to hasten the filing of cases so as to recover stolen public funds.
De Lima also renewed calls for the passage of a proposed Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption (ICAIC) law, which would form a stronger, more comprehensive, and truly independent body to investigate anomalous government projects.
“No stalling should be allowed in passing the ICAIC bill. Let me repeat: the President should certify it as urgent,” she said.
“Besides the value of the recovered stolen wealth, we will also monitor how it will be used. The government’s plan for it should be clear, and it should bring significant benefits to our people,” she added.