MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. commended the hard work and dedication of honest government employees while condemning officials implicated in alleged corruption in infrastructure projects now under investigation by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

“These corrupt people are not the face of government. All they are is the face of corruption. That’s all they are. They are not typical of government,” Marcos said in the latest episode of the BBM Podcast.

The President said the government has many public servants who are “very good, dedicated, and make sacrifices” to fulfill their duties.

“I have always said, there are so many people in government who are very good, who are dedicated, who make sacrifices, who give everything that they can to their service,” he said.

Marcos explained that he decided to expose the deeply rooted corruption in flood control and infrastructure projects partly to honor those who perform their duties with integrity.

“One of the reasons I really exposed all of this was because these people are trying so hard. They come in to 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 they’re… even above and beyond their actual job description,” he said.

The President also emphasized that most government employees work sincerely to serve the public and should not be associated with those who steal public funds.

“We must respect that people are really working very hard and trying their best. You cannot paint everyone in government with the same brush as all of these corrupt operators that you see in government,” Marcos said.

He acknowledged that while corruption persists in the bureaucracy, many officials continue to make personal sacrifices in service to the public.

“And yes, there are many, many of them. But you will find… They do not filter down. These people are making serious sacrifices, time away from their family, money out of their own pocket. Things like that. And they do this constantly, every single day,” he said.

Marcos created the ICI on September 11 to investigate alleged corruption, irregularities, and misuse of funds in government flood control and related projects over the past decade.

The commission is also mandated to recommend the filing of appropriate charges before the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice, the Civil Service Commission, and other concerned agencies.