Malacañang has played up the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) as having largely completed its work after announcing that it was halting its operations “due to the lack of a quorum.”

From the outset, however, the body created under Executive Order 94 by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in September 2025 was widely perceived to be a smokescreen to shield the real perpetrators of the wholesale theft of public funds.

House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice branded the President’s recent statement that the work of the ICI was done “as the height of insincerity and a clear insult to the intelligence of the Filipino people.”

It is as if the President, whom the Palace has continuously claimed exposed the overpriced and non-existent flood control projects and started the anti-corruption ball rolling with his admonition to Congress, “Mahiya naman kayo,” does not want to learn the truth.

According to Erice, less than 10 percent of the work needed to be done to bring out the truth has actually been done.

Aside from investigating the anomalous public works projects from 2016 to 2025, the ICC was also mandated to examine how the national budget process was used to enable the most significant plunder of public funds in history.

The ICI’s credibility was undermined by the resignation of two of its three commissioners; by its admission to Congress that it lacked the resources and powers to do its job; and by its failure to investigate the ranking personalities implicated by witnesses and others suspected of involvement in the anomalies.

The only person left to sign and submit the final ICI report is its chairperson, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Andres B. Reyes Jr.

Of its three members — Reyes and Commissioners Rogelio “Babes” Singson and Rossana Fajardo — Singson resigned on 15 December 2025 and Fajardo on 31 December 2025.

“I will say this plainly: any report produced under these conditions will be worthless, pure garbage,” Erice said.

It appears that the administration would rather hide the truth, toss the issue to the Office of the Ombudsman and allow the narrative to be managed and manipulated until the public outrage fades.

A lack of sincerity appeared to be behind the President’s failure to prioritize the creation of an Independent People’s Commission in the Senate and an Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption in the House.

“Words become meaningless when actions point in the opposite direction,” Erice, a key opposition figure in the House, underscored.

The suspicion that the administration is trying to contain the plunder, protect relatives and allies, and deny the people their fundamental right to know the truth becomes evident from what has transpired.

“How long can this administration cover up an anomaly of this magnitude? To do so would require staying in power beyond accountability, ensuring protection after 2028, and guaranteeing that the next president would be a political puppet. History teaches us where this kind of thinking leads. We have seen this before. The Filipino people will always seek the truth,” Erice stressed.

To dispel the public anxiety, he challenged the President to allow a truly independent commission created by Congress, with real powers, real resources and members of unquestionable integrity, to get at the truth, identify the culprits and protect the people’s budget.

Marcos is often reminded that a “meaningful legacy” demands real political reform, starting with an anti-political dynasty law and a credible party system.

Instead, the trajectory so far points to self-preservation, a political reflex Filipinos can easily recognize.