MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday clarified that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s appointment of former Budget secretary Amenah Pangandaman as chairman and chief executive officer of the state-run Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank did not clear her of any potential liability in the ongoing investigation into alleged anomalies related to the government’s flood control projects.
In a briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro stressed that Pangandaman's new post was separate from the government's continuing investigation into the scam.
"There is nothing wrong with him appointing someone he believes can perform the job well. The administration has been open to investigations involving anyone—whether allies or non-allies, relatives or non-relatives; the president has been open to investigating not only the previous administration but also his own people, his Cabinet secretaries, or anyone within the executive branch,” the official said in Filipino.
“The matter regarding anomalies in flood control projects is a different issue. If there is evidence against former Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, the president is open to any form of investigation,” she added.
Castro also said that Pangandaman has no criminal charges filed against her and reiterated that determining criminal liability lay on the proper investigative and judicial institutions, not Marcos.
"If there is evidence and legal basis to file a case, they are free to do so," she said.
Pangandaman stepped down as Budget secretary in November 2025 alongside then-executive secretary Lucas Bersamin after both were linked to the alleged irregularities involving flood control projects.
