De Lima calls for 'clarity, sobriety' amid developments in flood control projects mess
At A Glance
- Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima is seeking clarity and sobriety among Filipinos especially with the heated politics in the country.
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima is seeking clarity and sobriety among Filipinos especially with the heated politics in the country.
De Lima made this pronouncement Tuesday, Nov. 18 amid the many developments that stemmed from alleged corruption in the government's flood control projects.
Her appeal notwithstanding, De Lima said the individuals involved in the anomalous flood control projects must all be probed.
"Investigate all. Leave no stone unturned," the opposition lawmaker said in a video statement.
More names, including former and incumbent senators, were recently dragged into the controversy. Meanwhile Senator Imee Marcos accused her own brother, President Marcos, of being a drug user, as she attended religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo's (INC) anti-corruption rally on Monday night, Nov 17.
De Lima, says there is a "need for clarity and sobriety amid recent developments in the country".
"Dapat managot ang lahat ng sangkot. Alam naman natin (All involved must be held accountable. We all know that): Guilty parties have the propensity to obfuscate, mislead and confuse the truth seekers, including the public, just to evade accountability," she said.
"Yes, they may have the truth — the whole truth in its purest form or simply half-truths — or the facts (complete, full, or partial), but let us not be easily swayed, deluded, or manipulated to serve selfish or insidious agenda, unless these whistleblowers and witnesses, even those coming from polluted sources, submit themselves to the regular fora and legal processes of accountability," she added.
De Lima then called for the immediate passage of a measure that would establish an Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption (ICAIC).
"Pass the legislative proposals to significantly curb corruption, dismantle political dynasties and introduce electoral reforms. Empower our democratic and accountability institutions," she said.
She further notednthat a country's "division and discord will serve no one but the corrupt".