After the arrest and imprisonment of former senator Bong Revilla, the issue of accountability for flood control projects has once again come to the center of attention. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Senator Joel Villanueva is facing three malversation cases, all of which are non-bailable and are currently undergoing investigation.
The DOJ explained that the complaints are either in preliminary investigation or in the stage of thorough review by prosecutors. In one of the cases, Villanueva's camp reportedly requested an extension to file a counter-affidavit, and was granted it until the deadline. The allegations stemmed from alleged misuse of public funds for a flood control project in Bulacan, with several former government officials and engineers as respondents.
Meanwhile, government officials have called on the public to trust the justice process, insisting that the cases are being treated according to the same standards as previous investigations. Amid questions about equal treatment of high-profile detainees, authorities have assured that the rules are the same for everyone, and that human rights and due process will be respected as trials proceed.
