Voice talent and content creator Inka Magnaye has broken her silence on accusations that she stayed quiet about alleged anomalies in flood control projects because her boyfriend, Mat Crespo, works at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
In a video released on Saturday, Sept. 20, Magnaye directly addressed the issue after online speculation linked Crespo to the controversy.
A Reddit post earlier this month fueled rumors, claiming Crespo quickly rose through the DPWH ranks because he is the child of a former district engineer. Some netizens even suggested he was “benefitting” from government funds.
Magnaye denied these claims, clarifying that her decision not to speak as loudly on the matter was a personal choice: “I’ve not been quiet. I’ve been posting on Threads about it, I’ve posted on TikTok about it. I just haven’t been as loud about it because I’m mostly vocal about things that I have personal experience in,” she explained.
“As a personal rule, I do my best to not speak too loudly about things that I don’t really know much about, and when the flood control issue exploded, the last thing I wanted to do was misspeak about Mat’s place of work and cause him to lose his livelihood.”
The voice talent stressed that her partner is not involved in corruption: “For the record, yes, Mat works at DPWH, but remember that not everyone who works at a government agency is corrupt. Don’t discount that there are good people out there who truly want to serve the public, just like his dad, who passed away even before Mat started working there.”
Magnaye added that Crespo worked hard to get where he is, citing his full athletic scholarship in college and dedication to further training: “As much as I’m really proud of him, I just never really mentioned anything about his work because he’s a private person, and I respect that. Also, I became even more protective of him because I know that there are so many people out there who won’t even care that he’s good at his job and that he works clean.”
The content creator condemned what she described as a “witch hunt,” saying people have been harassing her online and doxxing Crespo by posting details of his work.
“I don’t have a collection of very expensive bags. We don’t take constant extravagant trips outside of the country. And yet, people are already bringing us at the stake. I’ve been harassed all week with allegations and people have been posting details of Mat’s work online for everyone to see just because they think he’s corrupt. That’s doxxing.”
Magnaye urged the public to direct their anger toward the real perpetrators of corruption, not individuals uninvolved in the scandal: “This issue is way bigger than Mat and I. We — Mat and myself — are legitimate taxpayers and are obviously against corruption of any kind, and we want those who mishandled the funds to be held accountable.”
She also explained she could not join the Sept. 21 anti-corruption rally because of work commitments, but expressed solidarity with protesters: “Again, I’m away for work, so I’ll just be there in spirit. Please be safe. Please watch out for each other.”
Congress continues to investigate alleged anomalies in the DPWH’s flood control projects, with some contractors and government officials under scrutiny for their lavish lifestyles. Meanwhile, thousands of Filipinos gathered at Luneta Park and the EDSA People Power Monument on Sept. 21 for the so-called Trillion Peso March.
