Malacañang on Wednesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants all those behind the attempted bribery of a Batangas lawmaker held accountable, including any powerful contractors allegedly using public works officials as intermediaries.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Palace is urging Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste to meet with Mr. Marcos after personally catching a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer allegedly trying to bribe him in connection with questionable flood control projects.
“Whoever is behind this, it would be better for the President to also speak with Congressman Leviste,” Castro said in a press briefing. “Those big people allegedly behind this should also be charged, not just the district engineer,” he added.
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson earlier suggested that a powerful contractor may be behind the attempted payoff, while Leviste himself proposed that the DPWH engineer be considered as a potential state witness to expose the corruption network.
Asked about allegations that district engineers often serve as “bagmen” for large contractors, Castro stressed that such officials remain liable despite acting as middlemen.
“Even if their role was just as a bagman, they are still accomplices” Castro said.
“President Marcos Jr. is reiterating his call to the public, if you have any information about anyone who should be charged, please report it to the President,” she added.
The incident comes as the Marcos administration intensifies its probe into anomalous flood control projects following the President’s recent inspection of what he called “ghost projects” in Bulacan.
