Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday vowed that many of the at least 37 powerful lawmakers and wealthy businesspeople implicated in a massive flood control corruption scandal would be behind bars by Christmas, as public anger and street protests mount.

Marcos said an independent commission investigating the scandal has filed criminal complaints for graft, corruption, and plunder—a non-bailable offense—against the 37 suspects. Cases have also been lodged against 86 construction executives and nine government officials for allegedly evading taxes worth nearly 9 billion pesos ($152 million).

Corruption in flood control projects has been blamed for substandard or incomplete infrastructure, leaving the country vulnerable to deadly typhoons and floods. Last week, Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 232 people, while Super Typhoon Fung-wong claimed 27 lives and left millions affected by flash floods and landslides.

“I know that before Christmas, many of those named will end up in jail,” Marcos said, adding that further anomalies are expected to surface. “We don’t file cases for optics. We file cases to put people in jail.”

Vice President Sara Duterte, critical of Marcos, said the president should also be held accountable for approving the 2025 national budget, which funded questionable infrastructure projects.

The government has frozen assets of the suspects, including 1,671 bank accounts, 144 properties, and 244 vehicles valued at 6.3 billion pesos ($107 million). Some luxury vehicles have already been seized and are being auctioned.

A new detention facility in Quezon City, capable of holding 800 corruption suspects, has been opened, with officials pledging no VIP treatment for powerful detainees.

Among those under investigation are lawmakers both allied with and opposed to Marcos, including his cousin and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has denied wrongdoing. “Nobody’s immune. Nobody would be exempted in these investigations,” Marcos said.