Erice: Singson feared ICI would be a ‘washing machine,’ lacked independence

House Minority Leader and Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said in an ANC interview that former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson told him he did not want to meddle with Malacañang and only wanted to identify who stole from government funds.

Erice said he and Singson discussed the proposed Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) bill, which seeks to strengthen the existing Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) by giving it more authority to probe anomalies involving public funds.

As the ICAC bill remains pending and lawmakers await action from the Committee on Appropriations, Erice said he expressed doubts that the ICI would function effectively. The congressman said Singson shared his concerns and indicated that he preferred to return to his private life.

“So I updated Sec Babes that we're still waiting for the Committee on Appropriations. I told him my doubt that what will happen is that it will just be a washing machine, the ICI,” Erice said.

“He said, (Singson) I feel the same way. Why would I risk myself and my family over the problems of Malacanang? He said, I'm trying to find out who stole from the government. I just would like to be back with my normal life and privacy,” he added.

According to Erice, the current limitation of the ICI is its inability to summon key officials who know what happened to the budgets of 2023, 2024, and 2025. He cited Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Adrian Bersamin, and former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman as among the individuals whose names surfaced following allegations raised by at-large former congressman Zaldy Co.

“They are the ones who know as to why Malacanang agreed to remove the Ph 60 billion in PhilHealth funds and put in flood control, P107 billion of PDIC in flood control, and more than P300 billion allocated for equity in foreign-assisted projects that resulted to the delay in the implementation of Metro Subway, PNR Elevated Rail, and many other projects,” Erice explained.

“So that's where it starts. Why are the projects that have been planned for a long time suddenly put out on the insertions and amendments, which amounted to about P1.45 trillion in three years,” he added.

Erice also raised concerns over the lack of transparency within the ICI, noting that the commission’s rules permit executive sessions.

He further questioned the ICI’s independence, pointing out that its funding comes from the Office of the President. The ICI was created on 21 September 2025 after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 94 to investigate alleged anomalies in the country’s flood control projects.

“The ICI is not truly independent because it was a creation of the President. It's funding comes from the office of the President,” Erice said.

Recalling his conversation with Singson, Erice added that the resigned ICI member believed the commission would not only fail to function but would be vulnerable without institutional support.

“During the telling Erice on their conversation of Singson, he stated that the resigned ICI member said that the commission will not just be a washing machine, it will be a punching bag without proper support,” he said.

“That's the exact word, without proper support,” he added.