ICI: The Reckoning Begins

As a public servant committed to transparency and accountability, I join my fellow Filipinos in outrage at the deep-rooted corruption that has long plagued and corroded our government.

Thus, I laud President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s latest move, his new Executive Order 94 creating the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI). This is more than a welcome reform; it is a long-overdue reckoning.

The ICI will target the very core of public frustration: infrastructure and flood control projects, long disfigured by inefficiency, malpractice, deceit and outright thievery. By establishing this commission, the administration affirms a vital truth — public office is a public trust. And it signals a clear message: those who betray that trust will face consequences.

This move comes amid an overwhelming public clamor. In just weeks, over 12,000 complaints have flooded the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website. The deluge of grievances is not noise — it is a national demand for justice — and the ICI is designed to respond with the authority to investigate, subpoena, and build cases with real teeth.

Crucially, the ICI’s integrity hinges on its composition: individuals of proven independence, competence, and incorruptibility. Its makeup should resist political meddling, empowering it to act credibly and decisively.

Moreover, its integration with the Witness Protection Program will ensure whistleblowers can speak openly and without fear, unlocking insider truths essential to uncovering and dismantling systemic abuse.

But the ICI is not just about punishment — it is about building a future. With a mandate to recommend legislative and administrative reforms, the commission will lay the groundwork for long-term structural change.

President Marcos’ directive for regular updates and public disclosure will also ensure that the ICI’s work remains visible and answerable to the people. That visibility is key to rebuilding a citizenry that while it has grown understandably cynical, it has nonetheless remained watchful and engaged.

Transparency is paramount, accountability must be institutionalized and must outlive political terms.

This is not just about clean paperwork or proper audits. It’s about lives and survival. In a disaster-prone country like ours, the failure of infrastructure and flood control is not just mismanagement, it is fatal negligence foisted upon the long-suffering people.

In all, the creation of the ICI is admittedly not a cure-all, but it is a bold crucial first step — a declaration that the status quo is outmoded and will no longer suffice. It signals hope for a future where corruption is no longer inevitable, but unthinkable.

Let this be the beginning of a new chapter — one where justice is swift, governance is clean, and the people’s trust is finally earned back and restored.