Tiangco seeks ‘stronger’ ICI

Navotas City Representative Toby Tiangco reiterated his push Wednesday to pass a bill that seeks to grant the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) more authority in investigating anomalies in flood control projects.

Under House Bill No. 5699, the ICI would be transformed into the Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption (ICIAIC). If enacted, the commission would gain the authority to file cases, issue subpoenas, hold departure orders, and conduct broader investigations.

Tiangco said the proposed measure would make ICI investigations and the filing of appropriate cases faster and more effective.

“This (ICI) will help the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice to speed up the process because we have a responsibility to the Filipino people to show quickly that we are serious about this investigation, because this is the biggest corruption scandal in the history of our country,” Tiangco said in a statement.

The ICI was created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through Executive Order 94, signed 11 September, to serve as a fact-finding body looking into irregularities in public infrastructure funds. At present, the commission does not have prosecutorial power and only submits its findings to appropriate authorities, such as the Office of the Ombudsman.

The investigation has recently focused on Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, whose testimonies before the Senate prompted the ICI to reevaluate the cases it plans to file.

Former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, however, called Bernardo unreliable, saying the evidence he presented consisted mostly of hearsay.

“I deny the imputation in this sworn statement of DPWH Undersecretary Bernardo submitted to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee about the delivery of agreed 15 percent commitment ‘supposedly for the Office of the Executive Secretary,’” Bersamin said in a statement.

To recall, ICI executive director Atty. Brian Hosaka disclosed last 17 November that Bernardo had applied to become a state witness amid the ongoing probe into the flood control scandal.

Hosaka said this application was the reason for the fourth consecutive cancellation of a hearing involving Bernardo.