Marcos drops hammer: No one escapes probe

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday assured the public that no one, not even his political allies or family members, would be spared from the scrutiny of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) as it investigates alleged irregularities and ghost projects in the government’s flood control program.

In a press conference at Malacañang, Marcos was asked how the administration could ensure impartiality in the probe, especially with powerful figures like House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, his cousin, and Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co being linked to the controversy.

“They will not be spared,” said Marcos firmly.

“We are not taking sides, we are not helping anyone, and no one will believe you unless you do it yourself — so we will do it,” he added in Filipino.

The President emphasized the independence of the ICI, which will investigate and audit reported anomalies in infrastructure projects — especially those related to flood control, where billions of pesos in public funds have been spent in recent years.

“’What I want to stress here is the independent nature of this commission,” he said.

“We won’t interfere in their work. We will, of course, be in discussions with them. We will ask them what is happening, what they have found, what we are doing next, etc. But we are not about to direct them as to how to conduct their investigations, we are going to leave it up to them,” Marcos stressed.

The President said the administration will be open to the ICI’s recommendations on preventing similar issues in future bidding processes and projects.

“I said we’re perfectly open to that. What we really want is to fix the system,” he said.

Romualdez and Co were among the public officials named by controversial contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya, who alleged systemic corruption and name-dropping in the awarding of flood control contracts. However, Discaya later clarified he had no direct dealings with either lawmaker.

Both Romualdez and Co have vehemently denied the allegations.

Romualdez said the claim that his name was used to secure commissions from projects was “false, malicious, and nothing more than name-dropping.”

Co, a former chairman of the influential House Appropriations Committee and incorporator of Sunwest Inc., a top contractor for Bicol flood control projects, dismissed the allegations as “baseless and irresponsible,” saying they were “politically motivated and meant to mislead the public.”

He pointed out he had divested from the firm before the projects in question were awarded.