DAVAO CITY – Pwersa ng Pilipinong Pandagat party-list Rep. Harold Duterte welcomed on Monday, Nov. 24, the filing of charges and arrest of individuals implicated in the flood-control scandal.

In a statement, Duterte described the development as an initial but insufficient step toward full accountability.

Duterte also cited the government’s auction of luxury vehicles seized from suspects, calling the cars “symbols of excess at the expense of the Filipino people.”

He, however, said that symbolic actions are not enough.

“These are only early steps in a very long journey toward genuine accountability,” Duterte said.

What this country needs, the lawmaker said, is not symbolic progress, but swift, comprehensive, and uncompromising action. He added that Filipinos deserve to see every peso lost to corruption recovered “with interest.”

Duterte urged authorities to ensure that both the direct participants and the orchestrators of the scheme are held accountable and brought to justice.

He called on the Department of Justice, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, the Office of the Ombudsman, and other agencies involved to uphold their oath to serve the Republic.

“We are not accountable to any individual, faction, or fraternity. Our loyalty is – and must always be – to the Filipino people,” he said.

The lawmaker urged the public to remain vigilant, warning that recent developments should not lead to complacency.

Duterte emphasized that the investigation must continue fearlessly and impartially, reaching all those responsible, regardless of position or affiliation. “For true justice to prevail, no one must be exempt.”