BY GENALYN KABILING
President Duterte has absolved Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar of any involvement in corruption, saying he is already a wealthy man.
The President instead raised suspicions about the possible corruption involvement of some low-ranking officials at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“Si Villar mayaman. Secretary Villar maraming pera ‘yan. Hindi niya kailangan mangurakot,” the President said during his televised public address Monday.
The DPWH Secretary is the son of former Senator and real estate tycoon Manny Villar and Senator Cynthia Villar. The elder Villar, a known ally of Duterte, is reportedly the richest Filipino based on the Forbes’ list of billionaires this year with an estimated wealth of $5.6 billion.
Although he cleared Villar of corruption, the President lamented that corruption is still rampant in the DPWH especially at the lower level.
Duterte disclosed plans to establish a new structure to ensure infrastructure projects of the department are free of corruption.
“Ang problema sa baba, malakas pa rin hanggang ngayon. ‘Yung mga projects sa baba ‘yun ang laro diyan. We might maybe place another structure to improve the integrity of the project,” he said.
Last week, the President scored the massive corruption in DPWH, claiming that no construction project begins without money exchanging hands. He claimed that many DPWH projects, including right-of-way payments, were reeking of corruption.
In his remarks Monday, Duterte appealed anew to the public to report corruption complaints via the government hotline 8888. He told them to identify the erring public official so appropriate action can be taken. (Genalyn Kabiling)
