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 does not clear her of any potential liability in the ongoing investigation of flood control projects.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro stressed that giving Pangandaman a new post does not mean that the President is absolving her of any wrongdoing.
"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 in a press briefing.
“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 pointed out that no criminal charges have been filed against Pangandaman and reiterated that determining criminal liability lies on the proper investigative and judicial institutions not the President.
"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 after being linked to the government's probe into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
