President Rodrigo Duterte named lawmakers allegedly receiving kickback from infrastructure projects in their districts, after initially declining to do so.

In a televised briefing on Monday, December 28, the President named 8 congressmen and a former member of the House of Representatives involved in the alleged anomalies in Department of Public Works and Highways projects.

The President said the names were from a report he received from the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), which he first mentioned in November.

Duterte said that he is naming the lawmakers now because the list was a public document after all. Malacañang has yet to release the said PACC report to the media.

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Rappler is withholding the names of the lawmakers and engineers the President mentioned, unless they issue official statements on the matter or cases are already formally filed.

According to the President, the lawmakers were supposedly aided by the DPWH district engineers assigned in their areas. Duterte mentioned instances of ghost projects and an “enrollment fee” of P12 million before a project could be awarded to a contractor.

Another lawmaker, according to Duterte, rigged the bidding process and received as much as 25% from the contractor.

The President, however, made it clear during the Monday’s briefing that the people he mentioned will be presumed innocent unless proven otherwise.

“The public should be aware that there is no hard evidence, that’s one. That it cannot be translated by just reading the names that they are already guilty because presumption of innocence would lie all throughout until conviction or acquittal,” said Duterte.

“I just want to assure everybody that ‘yung pagbasa sa pangalan ninyo is not a condemnation or indictment that you are guilty of something.… Do not take it as gospel truth na totoo talaga ‘to. Lumabas lang ito sa investigation ng PACC,” Duterte said.

(I just want to assure everybody that reading your names does not mean it’s a condemnation or indictment that you are guilty of something. Do not take it as gospel truth that it’s true. It just happened this was the result of the investigation by PACC.)

The President said Monday the district engineers mentioned would be removed from their posts starting Tuesday, December 29.

“Itong mga engineer that I mentioned, I do not condemn you. I give you the presumption of innocence katulad sa (similar to the) congressmen. I would like to ask Secretary [Mark] Villar to send me the names of engineers and the district offices they are assigned. I will reorganize. Ikutin ko kayo (I will assign you in different areas),” the President said.

In November, Duterte said that he has “no authority” to investigate lawmakers accused of corruption, saying they were part of a different branch of government. He declined to name them at that time and said that the report will be forwarded to the Ombudsman.

Duterte has notoriously publicized the names of government officials and personnel who he claims are involved in the illegal drug trade.

In 2019, he even released a list of “narco politicians” ahead of national and local elections that year. This fueled criticism that the Chief Executive was politicizing the drug lists and using them to scare off his political opponents.

Duterte’s lists were eventually proven to be riddled with errors, casting doubt on the vetting process and the credibility of the accusations. – Rappler.com