Senator JV: Senate should turn over flood control probe to ICI

Senator JV Ejercito said Tuesday that the Senate should consider turning over the investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control projects to the Independent Commission for Infrastrscture (ICI), citing a conflict of interest as the Senate investigates its own members.

“I personally told SP Sotto that it would be a good idea to wind it up because it is very awkward that we are investigating ourselves,” Ejercito said in Filipino during a radio interview.

“Our colleagues are involved, those in the House are also involved. It would be better to turn this over to ICI,” he added.

Ejercito also expressed concern that attention is being diverted away from those who initially orchestrated the scheme.

“I feel sad about the direction. Because it seems like the real culprits started with DPWH officials, [who] started this modus? It wasn't in the Senate. It was in the House, They [Zaldy Co] who started it,” he said.

“It seems like the real culprits are being covered up,” he added.

On budget insertions

When asked about the reported P100 billion in insertions made by the 19th Congress in the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Ejercito defended the practice, saying it had only become controversial in light of the flood control probe.

“I think all,” he said when asked who made insertions in the budget.

“Because insertions are not that bad. It's just that they've become worse now. The so-called insertions, we introduce those 'amendments' during the budget hearing, when our agency that we're reviewing [has a budget shortfall],” he explained.

“Not all amendments are tainted as long as there is no post-enactment intervention,” he highlighted.

He further acknowledged that budget insertions have been abused, resulting in revelations involving ghost and substandard projects.

“I admit that we introduce amendments but what I do is, when they come to us, we endorse them to the proper agency. The important thing is that we do not have post-enactment intervention,” he stressed.

On Sunday, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Panfilo Lacson revealed that “almost all” senators in the 19th Congress inserted at least P100 billion into the 2025 budget. He said documents showed these were individual insertions, with funds marked for later release.