Sotto, Lacson, Villanueva hail Marcos stand vs corruption

MANILA, Philippines — Immediately after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona), some senators expressed their sentiments about the chief executive’s speech, with most of them praising him for his bold remarks against the alleged corruption hounding the country’s flood control programs.

Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III said he was generally satisfied with the chief executive’s speech.

“Especially the fact that he gave a stern warning about corruption in the [Department of Public Works and Highways] flood control and other projects. I precisely like the part he talked about the preservation of the National Expenditure Program. That is what we will be doing in the Senate. Humanda yun mga mahilig sa insertion,” said Sotto.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva echoed the same sentiments, particularly praising Marcos for standing up for the ills surrounding flood control.

He, however, lamented Marcos’ failure to tackle the problem of online gambling.

“We reiterate our call for a total ban on online gambling because it wreaks havoc on the lives of our people. It destroys families, it traps people in addiction, and it offers no real value to nation-building,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo Lacson also applauded the president’s anti-corruption stance on flood control projects.

Lacson said his favorite quote from the President’s fourth Sona was the one where he told those involved in the corruption in flood control projects to be ashamed of what they did.

“I clapped the loudest and the longest when he mentioned about the graft-ridden flood control projects, even calling for an accounting of the same while holding accountable those responsible, whether government officials or private contractors,” said Lacson in a statement.

“I clapped even louder when the President announced that he will return the 2026 budget bill passed by Congress not aligned with the National Expenditure Program. That would make my scrutiny of the General Appropriations Bill easier with less insertions and realignments,” he added.

Lacson had questioned over the weekend the continued rise in floodwaters amid almost P2 trillion in flood management program allocations since 2011.

He added half of the almost P2-trillion flood control allocations to the DPWH alone may have been lost to corruption. /gsg