President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the government remains largely composed of honest and hardworking public servants, emphasizing that corruption should not define the country’s bureaucracy.
In the latest episode of his podcast released Tuesday, Marcos said he decided to expose the multibillion-peso flood control scam to show that the corrupt few do not represent the thousands of dedicated civil servants faithfully performing their duties.
“I have always said there are so many people in government who are dedicated, who make sacrifices, give everything that they can to their service,” he said.
“One of the reasons I really exposed all of this was because these people are trying so hard. They come into work early in the morning, they leave late, they don’t take holidays, they come in on the weekends just so that they can do what’s beyond their job description.”
The President said most government workers remain committed to public service despite the misconduct of a few individuals.
“You cannot paint everyone in government with the same brush as all of these corrupt operators that you see,” he said.
“These corrupt people are not the face of government. All they are is the face of corruption.”
Marcos earlier described the flood control fund controversy as one of the most brazen in recent years.
He formed the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to investigate alleged irregularities and ordered the realignment of PHP255.5 billion in flood control funds to critical social and infrastructure services.
He reiterated that accountability would be pursued without fear or favor, while continuing to support the honest majority who, he said, quietly keep the government running every day.
