Marcos calls oust moves over slow flood control probe 'nonsense'

VANCOUVER, Canada – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday (Canada time) brushed off calls for his removal from office over alleged “selective justice” and unresolved corruption cases in government, calling them “nonsense.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Marcos said, noting that he is the only president to expose alleged anomalies in state-funded flood control projects.

Marcos said irregularities in flood control projects were only disclosed during his watch, noting that past presidents had failed to look into the issue that happened “beyond [his] administration.”

READ: Marcos departs for Canada as Palace rejects fears of INC-backed coup

He also acknowledged that the government is “not done yet” in holding accountable all those involved in the flood control scandal.

“I cannot say that we have done enough because we are not done yet. Unfortunately, the more we look, the more we find. And it is going already back beyond my administration, beyond my term,” Marcos said.

READ: Marcos places flood control at center of anti-corruption campaign

He also cited that even his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Dutrerte, was aware of the “great problems in terms of flood control projects” but nothing happened to address the matter.

“Having acknowledged it, it did not find accountability in anybody. So, I guess that was left up to me to do. And so we are still doing it. We’re still working on it,” Marcos said.

“You know this is a deep-seated system of corruption that requires not only structural changes in the way government is run, in the way the budget is written, but also a change in attitude,” he added.

In September 2025, Marcos issued Executive Order 94, creating the now-defunct Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) tasked with investigating the questionable flood control projects.

The ICI earlier submitted its accomplishment report to Marcos, detailing its activities and achievements from Sept. 15, 2025 to Jan. 18, 2026.

The commission has filed nine referrals to the Office of the Ombudsman, coordinated the referral of 66 individuals to the Department of Justice, and contributed to the freezing of 6,692 bank accounts estimated at P24.7 billion.

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