‘We hear, feel them,’ Palace says of protests vs corruption
President Marcos shares the frustration of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) toward the corruption scandal hounding the government, Malacañang said on Monday, as the Christian sect held what was supposed to be only the second of its three-day “Rally for Transparency and a Better Democracy”—which abruptly became the last.
“We hear them, we feel them, and we will not disappoint them. We will fulfill their call for accountability and transparency,” Communications Secretary Dave Gomez said in an interview with dzMM.
“We will hold those who stole accountable, return what they took, and fix the system so this does not happen again,” he said.
The INC criticized the “turtle-like” pace of the government’s investigation into the flood control projects at the center of the corruption scandal.
On Sunday the group called for transparency, which was lacking in the inquiries conducted by the Ombudsman and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), according to Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, one of the speakers that day.
Addressing the ralliers on Monday, INC minister Rommel Topacio noted that “President Marcos has already revealed the companies [that] received the biggest contracts for the flood control projects.”
“Following this, some witnesses said certain lawmakers were involved in the corruption, including the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, which resulted in his resignation, as well as several senators and congressmen,” he added.
Despite these developments, Topacio said “the process to hold those who stole from public funds accountable” has been hindered by its “seemingly turtle-like pace.”
“None of the big personalities that were identified to be involved in the corruption were given punishment such as imprisonment,” Topacio said as the crowd yelled, “Jail them! Jail them!’
He also cited the government’s failure to bring home former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co.
“They are only now pushing for him to go home after he spoke against the government. So where’s the true desire for accountability?” Topacio said.
‘Alibis’
The INC minister said it was “very noticeable” that the government was only using “alibis” when it said it could not cancel the resigned party list lawmaker’s passport or coordinate with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to have him extradited.
“But it seems to be very easy for the same government to have a foreign organization, the International Criminal Court or ICC, which the country is not a part of, arrest former President [Rodrigo Duterte] without having him undergo trial in Philippine courts,” Topacio said.
Not welcome
“It becomes obvious then, that allies or supporters of the government are protected. If you are on the side of the opposition, the full force of the law is immediately implemented,” he said.
INC officials, however, have barred supporters of the Duterte family from joining its gathering, according to Daniel Nobleza, spokesperson for pro-Duterte groups Reforma Pilipinas and Hakbang Maisug.
Nobleza said the INC objected to their call for President Marcos’ resignation and did not want its rally to be “tainted by any political color.”
The said groups instead held a separate rally at Liwasang Bonifacio, while other Duterte supporters gathered at the People Power Monument in Quezon City.
Last speaker
But INC’s second-day rally which was decided to be the last was disrupted by one of the speakers who joined that gathering, the President’s sister.
Sen. Imee Marcos, who spoke last, claimed that Mr. Marcos and his wife, Liza, had a lingering drug habit.
Palace press officer Claire Castro in response said: “This is definitely a desperate move. What was being tackled in the peaceful rally is corruption. What was Senator Imee’s reason to demolish her own brother?”
Many INC members spent Sunday night at Quirino Grandstand to be able to attend the next day’s activities.
An INC member who wanted to be identified only as Raymond from Orani, Bataan, said he and his family joined the gathering and camped out at the rally site because they were responding to INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo’s call to protest against corruption in government.
The crowd peaked at an estimated 650,000 on Sunday and 600,000 on Monday, according to different units of the city government of Manila.
Gomez thanked the INC organizers for the peaceful conduct of their rally. —WITH REPORTS FROM DIANNE SAMPANG AND JASON SIGALES
