What exactly has the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) accomplished since its inception? I assume many have their opinions on the matter but, ultimately, it really has nothing to show for all the bells and whistles it came with.

Well, except for maybe just that: to make a show of it.

What did it discover that none of the already existing investigating agencies or law enforcement authorities couldn’t have if they had been allowed to pursue their inquiries into the anomalous transactions involving congressmen, senators and Cabinet officials?

In a way, the establishment of the ICI was like saying that the National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman were ill-equipped to deal with the matter, so let’s get some legal and industry “experts” into the mix. 

It’s not far off that the ICI was created as a courtesy to the high-ranking elected officials and Cabinet members who might not be “comfortable” with the optics of being called into a roomful of investigators and be lumped with common criminals. The attendees were ushered in with their expensive legal teams, own security details, with lead and backup cars escorting their fancy entourage. 

Can you imagine the son of the President being called in for “questioning” by the NBI or DoJ? But with the ICI, the Palace and the First Family could project the message that it was cooperating and not interfering in the investigations.

More importantly, the creation of the ICI shifted the inquiry behind closed doors. It is not entirely implausible that the ICI was intended to quash the public Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings, which were causing the Marcos administration significant embarrassment after several Cabinet members were caught up in the scandal, enough to force resignations and a reshuffling of the Cabinet. Even the Executive Secretary, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was implicated.

But the scheme was well thought out. 

To lend credibility to the whole circus, a former Supreme Court Justice was called to lead it, with a former DPWH secretary and a partner at a top auditing firm thrown in. The ICI was carefully designed to assuage the public clamor for accountability all while sanitizing the explosive revelations and the discoveries that could be made public.

And it worked for some time. Until the unexpected resignations were (again) prematurely disclosed to the public before a proper narrative could be crafted to preserve the ICI’s credibility. 

First to leave was special adviser Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who was replaced by former Philippine National Police chief, retired General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. 

Then, former DPWH secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson resigned, as announced by former congressman Jacinto “Jing” Paras. And just recently, SGV country managing partner Rossana Fajardo fled too.

We may not find out the real reasons Singson and Fajardo resigned. And I’m still at a loss as to why the Office of the Ombudsman is speaking out regarding the reason behind Fajardo’s resignation. 

The “natural flow of things” theory signals many things, none of them positive for the ICI. Especially since it appears the ICI was intended to prevent the corruption scandal that rocked the nation from toppling the Marcos administration from within. 

All of the above affirms that the ICI was an exercise in futility from the justice, transparency and accountability perspective. We, the Filipino people, have again been bamboozled.