QC jail ready for culprits in flood control anomalies

Malacañang assures the country's top business organizations that the government's anticorruption campaign is being pursued with urgency and depth through the ICI

- BETHEENA UNITE, ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS, DEXTER BARRO II, and TRIXEE ROSEL

• Government officials are expected to lead with integrity and accountability with focus on right leadership and performance

• Ombudsman to start preliminary probe on at least six cases in anomalous flood control projects

• DPWH to fill 1,993 vacant positions nationwide, most of them in regional offices

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Monday, Oct.20, that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is prepared to detain around 200 individuals in its regular jail facility in the event that charges are filed over the flood control scandal.

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government is ready to accommodate their imprisonment.

"Tingnan po natin kasi hindi pa naman po tapos iyong imbestigasyon.

Kung ganiyan sa tingin niya, naiestimate niya, ready naman po ang gobyerno kung sila ay dapat makulong (Let's see, because the investigation is not over yet. If that is his estimate, the government is ready should there be a need to imprison them)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Monday, Oct. 20.

The Palace official reiterated that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is committed to immediately file cases once their investigation and evidence are sufficient.

"Iyon din naman ang pangako ng ICI na magkakaroon po ng mabilisang pagsasampa ng kaso. Nagkakaroon lang po talaga ng pag-lipon ng mga ebidensiya para hindi naman po malabnaw iyong mga kasong isasampa nila at baka ma-dismiss lamang po (That's also what the ICI promised - that cases will be filed promptly.

They're just gathering enough evidence to make sure the cases they file are solid and won't be easily dismissed)," Castro said.

"Sayang po ang effort sa kanilang mga ginawa kung madi-dismiss lang po agad (It would be a waste of effort if all their work ends up getting thrown out)," Castro added.