Seven people have been arrested in the Philippines as part of an investigation into a sprawling corruption scandal related to flood control projects in the Southeast Asian country, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has announced.
The suspects are among more than a dozen people indicted by the Sandiganbayan, a special anticorruption court, in the first of what are expected to be numerous probes into so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects.
The arrests come two months after Marcos formed a commission to look into the scandal, which the Department of Finance estimates cost the country up to 118.5 billion pesos ($2bn), after thousands of people took to the streets of Manila in September to demand accountability.
In a video address shared on Facebook on Monday, Marcos said two wanted suspects were ready to surrender, while seven remained at large.
Marcos warned that anybody helping the fugitives to hide would also be held accountable under the law.
“To the rest, give up,” Marcos said, mentioning Zaldy Co, a former member of the House of Representatives, by name.
Officials have said Co’s family owns Sunwest Corporation, the construction firm contracted to build a dike on Mag-asawang Tubig River in Oriental Mindoro province.
The project, worth 289 million pesos ($4.9m), is the first to be scrutinised by the court since the scandal became public.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the whereabouts of Co, who is believed to be outside the Philippines, are unknown, but three other suspects may soon surrender to the Philippine embassies in the United States, New Zealand and Jordan and be flown back home.
“No matter where you are in the world, we will find you,” Remulla said at a news conference, where mug shots of the arrested suspects in orange shirts were shown.
Philippine media outlet Rappler listed the names of eight Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials who it said were now in custody over the Oriental Mindoro case as of Monday.
They include two regional directors, an engineer and a bidding and awards committee accountant, according to Rappler.
Marcos has promised that dozens more criminal corruption lawsuits will see implicated senators, house members and wealthy construction company owners “jailed before Christmas”.
The lavish lifestyles, mansions, suitcases of cash and fleets of luxury cars and private jets of the leading corruption suspects have led to huge protests.
An upcoming demonstration scheduled for November 30 is backed by the dominant Roman Catholic Church.
Those implicated include Representative Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin and key ally, who has denied any involvement but has stepped down as House of Representatives speaker.
Former Senate President Francis Escudero has also been accused of pocketing kickbacks. He has stepped down from his post but strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Deadly floods
The archipelago nation of some 7,641 islands is extremely prone to flooding, with residents of poor communities saying the corruption scandal has left them without protection.
More than 250 people were killed as two super typhoons slammed into the Philippines within a week of each other earlier this month.
Experts say island nations like the Philippines are facing increasingly severe and frequent tropical storms due to warming oceans and other effects of climate change, and that more flood control efforts are needed to minimise the potential consequences.
