What are the ghosts the ICI wants to hide?
It appears now that Magalong cannot be dictated upon by the powers that be as he had no other goal but to help the investigation and expose the truth.
Daily TribuneIt appears now that Magalong cannot be dictated upon by the powers that be as he had no other goal but to help the investigation and expose the truth.
What is there to hide in the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI)? We, the public, want to know who the thieves are that purloined tens of billions of pesos of taxpayer money and here the ICI is telling us that we have no right to watch the proceedings it will conduct.
It has become even more imperative that we learn the details of the ICI’s findings and how it will process the data it has gathered and investigated, given the unexpected resignation of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin
From his statement following his resignation, Magalong felt that his role as adviser to the commission was being questioned and undermined. It was clear to the public that when President Bongbong Marcos appointed him ICI adviser, the question of “conflict of interest” was never an issue.
As the days unraveled and the ICI probe into the ghost and substandard flood control projects widened, Malacañang started to have doubts about Magalong.
Before the creation of the ICI, Mayor Magalong had been very vocal about the scandalous and unmitigated corruption in the government bureaucracy. He revealed the intricate anatomy of graft and corruption behind the officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways who were in cahoots with contractors, legislators and, recently, with the Department of Budget and Management.
In short, the money trail was getting closer to the Palace by the Pasig River.
It now appears that Magalong could not be dictated upon by the powers that be, as he had no other goal but to help the investigation and expose the truth.
In his letter of resignation, he vowed to continue his anti-corruption crusade despite stepping down from the ICI.
What happened to Magalong finds parallelism with the case of former Marine Master Sgt. Orly Guteza. The brave Marine who once worked with Rep. Zaldy Co. knew something others didn’t, or if they did they lacked the courage to come forward and reveal what they knew.
True to his love of country, dignity, and courage as a Marine, he found a conduit in former partylist Rep. Mike Defensor to reach Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
Marcoleta requested permission from Blue Ribbon Committee Chairperson Panfilo Lacson to present Guteza as a witness, which was granted.
Guteza had with him an affidavit that was supposed to have been notarized. Under oath, he read his affidavit before the committee. What he revealed shook and shocked the chamber as if it had been hit by an intensity-9 temblor. Some 11 to 15 pieces of Rimowa luggage, each containing millions of pesos, were delivered three times a week from the mansion of Zaldy Co. to the mansions of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, including one near Malacañang.
Guteza’s testimony, including his affidavit, is being impugned. Lacson, for one, threatened him with perjury following the statement from the lawyer who appeared to have notarized the document, alleging that her signature had been forged. Fake, forged, every lawyer worth their salt said that what matters is that Guteza read under oath what was written in the affidavit at the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing. But that is a matter of contention.
By a rough estimate, more or less ₱P1.03 trillion of taxpayer money was parceled out to the syndicate of contractors, DPWH regional and district engineers, legislators, casinos, bagmen, and some characters close to the tenant of Malacañang.
The people are angry, and the situation is reaching the incendiary point. The creation of an Independent Commission for Infrastructure, coupled with the Senate investigation, has defused the tension.
However, the resignation of Mayor Magalong from the ICI and the threat of imprisonment on Marine Master Sgt. Guteza have refueled the atmosphere of doubt as to the agenda and the credibility of the investigative bodies.
And now here comes the ICI declaring that the public will be prohibited from watching and listening to their probe. This raises the question: what are the ghosts the Independent Commission for Infrastructure is trying to hide from the public?