‘People’s warrant of arrest’ vs Marcos Jr.

Human rights groups said that those who get arrested are anti-corruption protesters instead of government officials involved in corruption scandals.

MANILA – Serving a symbolic warrant of arrest on December 2, human rights activists stressed that the Marcos Jr administration is guilty of corruption and human rights violations.

“Corruption is very much part of the human rights situation in the country precisely because it impacts on those who have less in life and those whose rights are being constantly trampled on,” Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay said.

Economic think-tank IBON Foundation said that at least P197 billion ($3.3 billion) are lost yearly due to the corruption in the flood control projects of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration. 

This funds could have been used to help procure more than 84,000 small-scale dryers and 42,000 large-scale dryers. Over 175,000 families may even be recipients of low-cost, safe, decent and climate resilient houses on the same budget. 

The money could also be used to achieve the international targets from the World Health Organization, funneling more than 15,000 barangay health stations, 56,000 hospital beds, 201,000 nurses, and 63,000 doctors. It is also possible to support more than 454,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with a total of 5.1 million employees.

“The effect of corruption in the economic, social, and cultural rights of the people reflect in the absence of access to basic services, regressive tax policies that burden the ordinary Filipinos, and fascism,” Palabay said.

Scandals

For human rights activists, both Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte are accountable in the corruption scandal. Kris Lacaba, convenor of Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA), said that the Marcos family is the biggest plunderers in Philippine history.

“The Marcos family committed the greatest robbery of a government, according to Guiness World Records,” he said. “It’s not a question anymore whether they committed plunder, but how much did they pocket from the Filipino people.”

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) reported that the son and cousin of Marcos Jr. had the highest shares of “allocable” funds from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) throughout the current administration. These funds are deemed to be the “new form of pork” because they are “discretionary and politically motivated.”

Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos got P15.8 billion ($267 million) worth of allocable funds, while Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez had P14.4 billion ($244 million) in the past three years.

“This means that Ilocos Norte’s 1st District, with a population of less than 320,000, got almost twice the P7.8-billion ($132 million) allocable of Rizal’s 1st District, the country’s most populous legislative constituency with 1.2 million residents,” PCIJ’s investigative report read.

Marcos Jr. himself has the biggest unprogrammed funds spike compared to the previous administrations, IBON Foundation reported. His highest unprogrammed funds can be traced in the 2023 General Appropriations Act, with a total of P804 billion ($13 billion).

“Jail the corrupt. All of them should be held accountable,” said martial law survivor Bonifacio Ilagan, representing Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA). “It’s not a matter of choosing the lesser evil. It is the demand to do away with evil.”

While Duterte released a video statement on December 1, veering herself away from the corruption, concerned groups and individuals stressed that she misused the funds of the Department of Education and Office of the Vice President, spending P125 million ($2 million) in 11 days back in 2022. 

Over 70 activists also filed an impeachment complaint against her, citing “gross abuse of discretionary powers” due to the P612.5 million ($10 million) confidential funds in both offices. 

ACT Teachers Party-list Representative and deputy minority leader Antonio Tinio filed House Resolution No. 484 to direct the House of Representatives to investigate flood control along Davao and Matina rivers awarded from 2019 to 2022 worth P4.4 billion ($74 million).

He flagged 80 contracts implemented in Davao City’s 1st District during former president Duterte’s administration, stressing that 49 of the contracts were congressional insertions.

The top contractor, Genesis88 Construction Inc., is owned by Glenn Escandor, a former Presidential Adviser for Sports under then-President Rodrigo Duterte and a reported campaign contributor to Vice President Sara Duterte.

Attacks

Human rights groups said that those who get arrested are anti-corruption protesters instead of government officials involved in corruption scandals.

More than 200 anti-corruption protesters and bystanders were arrested during the September 21 protest in Manila. The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) announced that there are 97 people charged with sedition complaints while there could be over 40 people identified for possible filing of charges.

Victims recalled their harrowing experience during the violent dispersal and unlawful arrests, citing torture and other inhumane acts, according to Amnesty International and the first responder lawyers.

Read: Police violence, torture cases surface as new anti-corruption protest looms

“We continue to face trumped-up charges ranging from tumults and public disturbance to our colleagues. We still have ongoing cases,” said Vitrum, spokesperson of Alyansa Laban sa Korapsyon at Brutalidad ng Pulis (AKAB).

CIDG also issued subpoenas against student leaders for their participation in the September 21 protest. Among them was Tiffany Brillante, national convener of Youth Rage Against Corruption. “This is the response of the regime in the collective action of the people seeking accountability: intimidation, harassment, filing of trumped-up charges, and arbitrary detention,” she said.

Despite the attacks, the activists vow to continue the protest actions leading to International Human Rights Day on December 10. (AMU, DAA)

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