The sudden resignation of Commissioner Rossana Fajardo from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) was described by the Ombudsman as a “natural flow of things,” hinting that the possibility of being subjected to a lawsuit may have influenced her decision to step down just over three months after her appointment.

While Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano didn’t directly say that Fajardo’s resignation was expected, he noted it was “not entirely surprising,” pointing out that “it has always been a concern for the ICI that they do not have immunity from suit.”

“Given this exposure, especially for those leading the commission, it was quite noble for private individuals to even take on such a daunting role in our country’s history,” Clavano added.

Clavano explained that, unlike the Ombudsman, who is granted legal immunity from lawsuits in the performance of their official function and can only be removed from office through an impeachment, the same does not apply to the commissioners of ICI, which critics derided as a toothless tiger. 

Fajardo’s resignation further fueled speculation about serious internal issues at the ICI, tasked with rigorously probing anomalies and corruption in flood control projects involving top government officials and influential private individuals accused of conspiring to embezzle billions of public funds. 

Her departure came just three weeks after former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Babes Singson also stepped down from the ICI, citing health reasons — though skeptics weren’t entirely convinced by his explanation.

Before Fajardo and Singson, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong was the first to step down from the fact-finding body on 27 September, just two weeks after the commission was created through Executive Order 94 signed by President Marcos Jr.

Following this latest resignation, ICI Chair Andres Reyes is now the only commissioner left to carry on the investigation into the massive flood control scam—one of the most high-profile corruption scandals to rock the country since EDSA.

In tendering her resignation on Friday, Fajardo said she already “completed the work I set out to accomplish when I was appointed,” noting, nonetheless, that she made a significant contribution to the ICI, through recommendations “aimed at improving government procurement and budgeting processes related to infrastructure projects.”

She also finds comfort in knowing that the passage of bills seeking to create a commission with sharper teeth and enhanced powers is being prioritized in Congress pursuant to Marcos’ directive.

Opposition lawmakers have long argued that the ICI is powerless and could become inutile, owing to a lack of contempt and expanded subpoena powers, unless created by an act of Congress.

Nevertheless, Clavano said the Ombudsman values the work of the ICI, whose recommendations help the office fast-track flood control cases and bring the culprits behind the multi-billion-peso scam to court. 

“It is only a matter of time before we see more cases filed in court - many upon the recommendation of the ICI,” he concluded.

According to Reyes, the ICI is now finalizing the remaining items to be submitted to the Ombudsman, which will bolster the growing number of cases set to be filed in court, signaling that the commission is nearing the end of its mandate.