De Lima: Anti-graft body won’t overlap Ombudsman

Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima on Saturday said the proposed Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption (ICAIC) will not duplicate the functions of the Office of the Ombudsman, stressing that the planned body is designed to address a specific gap in government oversight.

In a report of the Philippine News Agency, De Lima rejected claims that the proposed commission would encroach on the Ombudsman’s mandate.

“That’s not a correct view. It cannot be a duplication,” De Lima said. “The bill clearly states that it does not, in any way, diminish, impair, or encroach on the mandate of other investigative agencies such as the Office of the Ombudsman and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.”

She said House Bill 4453 explicitly limits the scope of the ICAIC to alleged irregularities in flood control and other infrastructure projects, allowing existing agencies to continue exercising their broader powers.

“Once created, the ICAIC will focus solely on supposed anomalous flood control projects,” De Lima said.