PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday made it clear that the independent commission that will investigate alleged anomalies in flood control projects will not have contempt powers, underscoring that its role will be to establish facts and recommend accountability, not to punish witnesses.

Marcos said the body will function as an investigative panel with the authority to issue subpoenas—compelling individuals to testify and produce documents—but will have no power to detain or penalize uncooperative witnesses.

“I don’t think that’s the role of the commission. They need a subpoena power to compel testimony and evidence, but not the authority to punish or detain. This is an investigative body, not a court,” Marcos said during a Kapihan with the Media forum in Phnom Penh at the close of his three-day state visit to Cambodia.

The President said the commission’s composition will ensure credibility and independence. Its members, he said, will be “investigators and lawyers, not politicians” to shield it from partisanship. “We have made very sure that they are, in fact, independent, truly independent. So, walang pulitiko diyan—puro imbestigador, abogado. It’s a technical exercise,” Marcos added.

Marcos is expected to announce the full composition, mandate, and timeline of the commission within 48 hours. Its primary responsibilities will include identifying “ghost” or substandard flood control projects, mapping the flow of funds, and pinpointing which public officials, contractors, and private beneficiaries should be held accountable.

Findings and recommendations will be endorsed to the Department of Justice (DoJ) or the Office of the Ombudsman for prosecution and administrative action.

The creation of the commission follows revelations of alleged kickback schemes involving lawmakers and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials. During recent House and Senate inquiries, whistleblowers claimed that some legislators received up to 30 percent “standard operating procedure” (SOP) cuts from project allocations in the national budgt.

In Bulacan alone—tagged as the epicenter of the alleged racket—over ₱44 billion in flood control funds were funneled between July 2022 and May 2025, out of a total ₱98 billion for Central Luzon.

Marcos himself discovered irregularities during recent on-site inspections, including a ₱96.4-million Calumpit flood control project and a ₱55-million reinforced concrete wall in Baliuag, both of which turned out to be “ghost” projects.

These findings prompted the Commission on Audit to launch a fraud audit across Bulacan.

The controversy has implicated high-profile politicians, including Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, who were accused in a House hearing of benefiting from multimillion-peso projects in Bulacan. Both have vehemently denied the allegations.

Lawmakers from both chambers have welcomed the creation of an independent investigative body.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and House Speaker Martin Romualdez earlier suggested that an impartial commission could complement the legislative inquiries and help restore public trust.

Marcos said the ultimate goal is to “cut through the noise” of political finger-pointing and produce a credible account of how flood control funds were used—or misused. “This is about protecting taxpayer money and making sure public works actually benefit the people,” he said.