MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has stressed the importance of building strong and well-supported cases against individuals involved in anomalous flood control projects, warning that filing weak cases could undermine the government’s campaign for accountability.

“Look, anong mangyayari: minadali natin, hindi kumpleto ang ebidensya natin, malabo ‘yung ebidensya natin pero pinilit natin, natalo ‘yung kaso. Can you imagine? I think that would be much, much, much, much worse,” Marcos said in a video teaser released Sunday for the latest BBM Podcast interview.

The President said that while many of those linked to questionable projects are “not innocent,” the government must ensure that evidence is strong enough to hold up in court.

“We know many of these people are not innocent, but if you’re going to bring them to court, you must have a very strong case,” he said.

Marcos warned that rushing cases with incomplete evidence could lead to dismissals, embolden violators, and damage the government’s credibility in its anti-corruption efforts.

“We have to follow the law. Otherwise, whatever we do is not legitimate. And we have to be very, very clear that we go after the guilty ones,” he said.

On September 11, Marcos created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate suspected anomalous projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) across the country.

The move follows his call for transparency and accountability in infrastructure spending, particularly flood control initiatives.

During his fourth State of the Nation Address on July 28, Marcos called out those involved in irregular flood control projects, saying, “Mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino.”

Following this pronouncement, he also launched the Sumbong sa Pangulo website to allow citizens to report substandard or non-existent infrastructure projects in their communities.