ICI failure to net ‘big fish’ slammed: De Lima says Marcos flood control probe a mere ‘public ride’

Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima on Sunday accused the government of “taking the public for a ride” after the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) — created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to investigate massive corruption in flood control projects — moved to wind down operations this month.

De Lima said the commission failed to deliver on the administration’s promise to expose those responsible, the so-called big fish, for the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.

“They formed the committee as the ‘Independent Commission for Infrastructure’ but only probed flood control — it hasn’t even investigated everything. The livestreaming it did was pointless,” De Lima said in a Facebook post.

The criticism came as allegations surrounding the flood control program intensified in recent months, with several individuals — including expelled lawmaker Zaldy Co, former Marine Orly Guteza, and a group of 18 former Marines — publicly accusing President Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez of being among the alleged recipients of kickbacks tied to substandard or ghost projects.

De Lima said the impending shutdown of the commission raises serious questions about the administration’s commitment to accountability.

“The ICI has been ordered to close; meanwhile, the ICAIC (Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption) bill has yet to advance. They said it was a priority, but nothing has happened,” she said.

The proposed ICAIC was included in House Bill 4453, co-authored by De Lima and other lawmakers, which would empower the body to pursue legal action against individuals implicated in corruption.

Push back

Without such a mechanism, De Lima warned, the investigation risks ending without accountability.

“Otherwise, it is becoming clearer by the day that the public is just being taken for a ride, that the administration gave false promises of a serious investigation and the announcement that a big fish was going to be imprisoned in the biggest corruption scam in our history,” she said.

“This administration should be ashamed,” she added.

Malacañang pushed back against the criticism, insisting that the closure of the fact-finding body does not mean the investigation is over.

“The fact-finding body, ICI, already turned over its report to the Ombudsman for further investigation. The mandate to pursue those responsible will continue,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.

Castro said both the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice (DoJ) retain authority to pursue cases based on the commission’s findings.

“The Ombudsman and DoJ are still conducting preliminary investigations into the cases submitted or recommended to be filed. Furthermore, they have the power to conduct more investigations motu proprio,” she said.

Nine referrals

ICI chairperson, retired Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes Jr., earlier recommended that the panel wind down operations by the end of March after completing its findings.

The commission has turned over documents to the Office of the Ombudsman, including nine referrals involving 65 individuals allegedly linked to questionable flood control projects.

But critics say the referrals fall short of the sweeping investigation initially promised when the commission was created.

“For a scandal involving billions of pesos in public funds and infrastructure that was supposed to protect communities from devastating floods, nine referrals simply cannot be the end of the story,” said Akbayan Partylist president Rafaella David.

Even as the commission prepares to close, the Philippine National Police said it remains ready to assist authorities pursuing cases tied to the alleged anomalies.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said police units provided technical verification, forensic validation, and security support during the probe.

“I commend the significant role of our personnel in the efforts to ferret out the truth in the interest of transparency and accountability,” Nartatez said.