President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday, August 11, appeared to challenge members of the press to investigate alleged connections between certain contractors and sitting lawmakers, in response to a question from GMA News.
When asked whether the 15 contractors identified in government flood control projects had links to government officials, particularly congressmen, President Marcos quipped, “Wala na ba talaga tayong investigative journalist ngayon sa Pilipinas? Trabaho niyo ’yan, look it up.”
President Marcos said Malacañang will also look into the matter, but stressed it would be “very premature” to name names until facts are firmly established. “Go out there. Tingnan ninyo. Talk to the people. We need to hear from everyone,” he told reporters.
The President acknowledged that some complaints that may surface could be politically motivated, citing rivalries, lost contracts, or other local disputes. “Minsan justified, minsan hindi, dahil may alitan na political… the usual thing,” he noted.
He assured the public that the government will review each case individually to determine credibility and necessary action. “We’ll still go through every single one. Let’s also be fair to everyone, unless we have a good idea of what went wrong,” President Marcos said.
The exchange came during a Palace briefing on flood control projects, where the President earlier presented publicly accessible data on Department of Public Works and Highways projects via the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” portal.
