DOZENS of high-value properties and luxury vehicles linked to individuals alleged to be behind the flood control controversy have been frozen as the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) secured its seventh freeze order on Wednesday.
In a statement, the financial intelligence unit said the appellate court’s ruling marked a “significant escalation” in the ongoing probe into the anomalies in government flood control projects.
“The Anti-Money Laundering Council has tightened its grip on assets linked to the controversial flood control projects,” the AMLC said.
“It secured its seventh freeze order from the Court of Appeals in a move that adds dozens of high-value properties and luxury vehicles to the growing list of frozen assets,” it added.
The latest freeze order, which came nearly a month after its last issuance, covers 45 real estate properties and 81 vehicles. The AMLC said it included luxury sports cars, SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and motorcycles belonging to former government officials.
However, it did not disclose the names of said officials.
The total number of frozen flood control assets now stands at over 2,000 valued at about P6.3 billion, a figure the AMLC expects to continue climbing amid the ongoing probe into the issue.
Since the first freeze order was issued on Sept. 15, the council has so far facilitated the freezing of 1,671 bank accounts, 58 insurance policies, 244 motor vehicles, 144 real properties, and 12 e-wallet accounts.
“We assure the public that our efforts have not ceased,” AMLC Executive Director Matthew M. David said in a statement. “We continue to pursue every lead, secure every necessary order, and hold accountable those who misuse public funds.”
The freeze orders came following the growing scrutiny over the flood control fiasco that linked multiple Public Works officials, private contractors and lawmakers to multibillion-peso corruption.
In September, the AMLC, through its Chair Eli M. Remolona, Jr., signed a memorandum of agreement with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to ramp up its information sharing and assets recovery initiatives.
Mr. David earlier said that the AMLC will file a petition for civil forfeiture with the Regional Trial Court for the frozen assets before the six-month validity of the order lapses. This would allow the government to recover the assets and potentially auction it off.
The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) said it has also been cooperating with the ICI to recover public funds lost to corruption.
Beyond providing legal expertise, the OSG is leading the ICI’s Asset Recovery Technical Working Group which is tasked to recover public funds and assets lost to corruption,” Solicitor General Darlene Marie B. Berberabe said in a forum on Wednesday.
She added that it represents the AMLC in its civil forfeiture cases.
“We will work in close coordination with the Office of the Ombudsman to ensure the return of monies and assets lost to corruption into our public coffers where they rightfully belong,” Ms. Berberabe said.
“Public resources belong to the people, and every peso that will be recovered is a restoration of trust in our institutions and the people who run it,” Ms. Berberabe said.
NO ZALDY CO REBUTTALMeanwhile, a former lawmaker Elizaldy S. Co, who is among the key personalities tagged in the multibillion-peso scandal, is not planning to file a counter-affidavit if a formal complaint is lodged with the Office of the Ombudsman, his lawyer said on Wednesday, citing concerns that the case is being handled in a biased manner.
The ICI has recommended graft, malversation and falsification charges against officials linked to bogus flood control projects, including resigned Party-list Rep. Co, though his lawyer Ruy Albert S. Rondain does not consider them official complaints.
“I don’t think it’s under oath, so I don’t think that was a complaint,” he said in a media briefing.
The anti-graft body “may have already prejudged” its investigation against Mr. Co, he added, as authorities move to rein in a widening flood control controversy that has gripped the Philippines.
Mr. Co sat as the House Appropriations committee chair for more than two years since the start of the Marcos administration. He was ousted in January.
Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said earlier this week that as many as 60 individuals could face jail time before yearend over alleged involvement in kickbacks tied to government flood control contracts.
“My thinking is the Ombudsman has already prejudged this case, and this is bolstered by the statements of [Public Works] Secretary Vince Dizon,” said Mr. Rondain. “Under these circumstances, there’s really no tactical benefit to filing a counter-affidavit,”
“If the government sticks to the facts and the evidence, that case shouldn’t be filed.”
Assistant Ombudsman and spokesman Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV did not immediately respond to a Viber message seeking comment but had said on Monday that Mr. Co’s refusal for a counter-affidavit will waive his right to present evidence in possible court proceedings.
Mr. Co also fears for his life if he returns to the Philippines, Mr. Rondain said, citing that the ex-lawmaker is not evading authorities but is rather getting medical treatment overseas.
He said he knew Mr. Co was last in Boston, US, and last spoke with him on Tuesday night, describing his client as sounding “downtrodden” during their talk.
“I don’t blame him, and I wouldn’t recommend that he come home either under these circumstances,” said Mr. Rondain. “One half of the country wants to throw him in jail and throw away the key. The other half wants to string him up by the nearest tree.”
Reports of subpar, incomplete or nonexistent flood control projects have triggered outrage in the Philippines, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, which faces an average of 20 typhoons a year that often leaves cities and provinces flooded in their wake.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has said his government has spent P545 billion on flood control works since he took office in July 2022. About P100 billion worth of projects were cornered by only 15 contractors, he said in August.
Also on Wednesday, a coalition of civil society organization on Wednesday called for the government to file appropriate charges to public officials and lawmakers involved in irregularities in flood control funding.
“The filing of cases makes the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) investigations relevant to ending the impunity of our officials,” Sylvia Estrada Claudio, Tindig Pilipinas, co-convenor told a news briefing.
She called on the Office of the Ombudsman to file charges like plunder to those involved in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
“Once plunder cases are filed, plunder being a non-bailable offense, arrest can finally be made and accountability can begin,” Ms. Claudio added.
Earlier, the ICI had recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against lawmakers and public works officials linked to the flood control kickback scheme.
The Marcos Administration is facing mounting public scrutiny over its investigation into the multibillion-peso corruption scandal.
She added that the coalition also calls on the suspension of officials implicated by the independent probe body.
“These officials should not spend one day more in their position of power and must not be given the chance to influence the wheels of justice,” Ms. Claudio said.
The group also called for the immediate freezing as seizure of all ill-gotten wealth of politician implicated in the corruption scandal.
“These are assets and money funded by the people’s taxes, and must be returned to the nation’s coffers,” she said.
Among other demands are the immediate implementation of livestreaming in ICI proceedings, the passage of laws that would hinder further corruption, and better accountability from public officials. — Katherine K. Chan, Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, and Adrian H. Halili