MANILA — Former senator Leila de Lima said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s disclosure of the top 15 flood control contractors in the country should not stop at publishing names, stressing the need for deeper investigation and accountability.

Marcos earlier revealed that the 15 contractors cornered 20 percent of all flood control projects in the past three years.

“That is just a mere list—nothing more. Malayo pa ito sa talagang kailangang gawin: pagbusisi at pagpapanagot sa mga palpak at corrupt na proyekto,” De Lima said.

She added that while a reporting website and investigative journalists can help, the President has the entire government machinery to go after those behind anomalous flood control projects.

“Huwag naman sana itong maging lista lang sa tubig. We demand more,” she said. “Accountability is measured in prosecutions, not press releases. Lalong hindi sa kulang-kulang na listahan.”

De Lima said those who profited from and turned government projects into rackets, especially those that endangered lives, should be made to pay and be held responsible.