Marcos faces impeachment complaint over flood control corruption scandal

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is facing an impeachment complaint over allegations he profited from anomalous infrastructure contracts, escalating political pressure amid a multibillion-peso graft scandal.

- By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio Reporter

‘The complaint, filed by lawyer Andre R. de Jesus and endorsed on Monday by House Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Jernie Jett V. Nisay, cited five grounds for removal, including three directly tied to the flood control scandal, according to mobile phone photos of the 12-page impeachment complaint circulated to media.

“The proliferation of ghost flood control projects nationwide confirms the existence of a coordinated and deliberate effort to plunder public funds,” it said.

Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III rejected the allegations against Mr. Marcos, saying the case lacks merit and that the President is acting fully within the law.

“We see no basis to justify the filed impeachment complaint,” he said in a statement in Filipino. “It is clear that the President is carrying out the mandate entrusted to him by the people in accordance with the law.”

He said impeachment talks require deeper scrutiny, with the process needing “utmost caution” and adherence to the Constitution. “It should not be used for politicking or become a source of division.”

Mr. Nisay, whom the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI last year sought to be charged by the Ombudsman with plunder due to his alleged ties to anomalous flood mitigation projects, said he expects the impeachment process against Mr. Marcos to start when the complaint gets referred to the Justice committee on Jan. 26, when Congress resumes session.

“We believe that under the Constitution... no one, not even the President, is above the law,” he told reporters after the complaint’s filing.