Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said cases related to anomalies in government projects must be backed by strong evidence to ensure only those truly guilty are punished. 'You don't want to go after people who are innocent. Now, we know many of these people are not innocent. But if you're going to bring them to court, you must have a very strong case,' he said in Episode 5 Part 1 of his podcast made public Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Marcos cautioned against rushing prosecutions. 'What will happen? We brought it. Our evidence is incomplete. Our evidence is vague. But we forced it. The case was passed. Can you imagine? I think that would be much, much, much worse,' he said. Marcos acknowledged public anger over corruption but said due process is necessary. 'It's understandable. Because it's the sins committed-and I call them sins, it's no longer mistakes or corruption. The sins they committed, it's hard to swallow. But if we... we are a nation of laws, we have to follow the law. Otherwise, whatever we do is not legitimate,' he said.

The President earlier called out irregularities in flood control projects, triggering a broad review of public works spending. Some groups have called for immediate arrests, but Malaca±ang has stressed the importance of careful evidence-gathering.