Bongbong Marcos ‘bothered, disgusted’ by corruption in DA, Customs — Sotto

MANILA, Philippines — President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was “bothered” and “disgusted” by the reported massive corruption in two agencies of government, outgoing Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said on Tuesday.

According to Sotto, the alleged corruption in the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs was the subject of their discussion after Marcos Jr. was proclaimed as the 17th President of the Philippines last month.

“He (Marcos) did not need commit to me or anything like that but I sensed na sa pag-uusap namin, na sense ko na talagang bothered siya, bothered siya dun sa corruption na mga pinag-uusapan sa DA, sa Customs,” the Senate leader told reporters at the Senate on Tuesday.

(He did not need to commit to me or anything like that, but I sensed in our discussion, I felt that he was really bothered, he was bothered by the corruption in the DA and Customs.)

“When we were talking about it, he was shaking his head… I know, I sensed it — his facial expression and the way he was shaking his head. He was disgusted with what he was hearing,” Sotto further said.

Marcos, poised to assume his post on June 30, will also head the DA in the first part of his administration. 

Sotto called this move an “excellent decision.”

“Unfortunately, with due respect, the Department of Agriculture has been embroiled in so much corruption, especially in the issue of smuggling, technical smuggling and what have you,” he said.

“Then there’s a bad influence between the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Agriculture. Kaya maganda palagay ko (I think it’s a good thing), as I said it’s an excellent decision of the President,” the Senate leader went on.

When the President-elect takes the helm at the DA, Sotto said he expects Marcos would scrutinize everything.

After all, he said, the incoming president “knows what’s going on.”

“As a matter of fact, I’m not sure if I’m at liberty to say so but I know for a fact that he already has a list of those involved in the smuggling,” Sotto pointed out.

As chairman of the Senate Committee of the Whole, Sotto led the probe on the alleged smuggling of agricultural products into the country.

READ: NICA probing over 20 ‘smugglers,’ government ‘protectors’

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