If the Discaya couple would qualify for the government's witness protection program, the state would be "willing to provide them protection," President Marcos said.

Marcos stressed in an interview in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Tuesday, Sept. 9, that such protection will not be withheld from those who truly need it.

"Well, there is a system of the witness protection. And if they quality as witnesses who will testify, then the state is, of course, willing to provide them with protection," Marcos said.

He explained that if there is indeed a recognized threat against the contractor couple—Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya— the government will be compelled to protect them.

Marcos pointed out that they would be provided with protection, if they qualify, not because they were making allegations, but because they are Filipinos.

"And even before that, if there is a recognized threat, then, of course, we will protect them. Not because they are making allegations, not because they are part of the investigation, but because they are Filipinos. They need to be protected against any kind of threat that they are facing," Marcos said.

"Iyon ang trabaho namin. Trabaho namin (That's our job)– the police, that’s the job of the government to make sure that all Filipinos are safe," Marcos added.

The President said the allegations made by the Discayas during a Senate inquiry, where they named lawmakers and public works officials allegedly involved in the kickback scheme in flood control projects, would be investigated by the independent commission he has been forming to look into flood control anomalies.

"[W]e will examine all the allegations that have been made," Marcos said in the same interview.

He said the independent commission will look into it and determine whether what the Discayas did was just a case of "name-dropping or there is something more substantial to it."

"But, of course, we don’t only investigate what other people are alleging. We are investigating this independently of all that," Marcos said.

"And that’s why we have to be very, very clear that the independent commission is in fact independent. That they will no longer be… Iyon na nga, no one who has an interest in these cases will be allowed to participate except as a witness," Marcos added.

The President said  he will announce the composition and mandate of the independent commission tasked to investigate flood control anomalies within the next 24 hours.