ICI’s work on flood mess ends March 31
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), the body tasked to investigate anomalies in the government’s flood control and other infrastructure projects, is winding down its operations six months after its creation by President Marcos.
ICI Chair Andres Reyes Jr., in a statement on Friday, said the commission would remain operational until March 31 “to complete the necessary administrative processes related to its wind-down.”
Under Executive Order No. 94 issued on Sept. 11 last year, President Marcos created the three-member ICI to investigate and recommend appropriate charges against government officials, employees, or individuals involved in anomalies in flood control and related projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) within the last 10 years.
Only Reyes, a retired Supreme Court associate justice, remained in the body after two of its commissioners, former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and former SGV & Co. country managing partner Rossana Fajardo, resigned in December.
Section 10 of EO 94 has a sunset provision providing that the ICI could be abolished “upon the accomplishment of the purposes for which it was created or unless sooner dissolved by the President.”
Mr. Marcos on Wednesday said the ICI’s tasks had already been fulfilled.
Reyes echoed this, noting that the ICI has begun efforts for “asset recovery, submissions of referrals for further movements, and even the development of three information systems designed to detect fraud and other irregularities in infrastructure projects.”
“While these represent only the initial phase of a much broader investigative and restitution effort, these accomplishments demonstrate that, with strong inter-agency coordination, proper investigations can be conducted which could ultimately lead to the successful prosecution of those responsible and the recovery of stolen public funds,” Reyes said.
“With these frameworks and systems now in place, I believe that the Commission has fulfilled its mandate under [EO 94], and that the work initiated by the ICI is now properly situated to be carried forward by the agencies established by law,” he added.
Turnover finished
Reyes said the ICI, as of Friday, had finished its turnover to the Office of the Ombudsman all of the commission’s documents, evidence and findings, which Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla had estimated to reach “200 mega boxes of data.”
Reyes said the ICI’s submissions to the Ombudsman included nine referrals covering 65 individuals, whom the body recommended either for filing of criminal and administrative charges or subject to further investigation. Among them were lawmakers, contractors and past and present officials of the DPWH and the Commission on Audit (COA).
Remulla said that eight House members and seven senators were included in the ICI’s referrals.
“Basically we run along parallel lines … The ones we’re investigating as the Ombudsman [are the ones] that [the ICI] also [checked] based on the same testimonies that we were able to get,” he said
But Remulla noted that the Ombudsman is “way ahead” when it comes to investigating House lawmakers linked to flood control anomalies.
Referral
The ICI’s first referral released on Sept. 29, 2025. implicated former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and Sunwest Inc., among others. Its second referral named Co, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, Audit Commissioner Mario Lipana, and former Caloocan Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy. The third referral implicated former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, the late former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, and the district engineers of the DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office.
The ICI’s seventh referral released on Dec. 3, 2025 involved former Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.; Cherry Mobile chief executive officer Maynard Ngu; several DPWH officials; and a certain “Mrs. Patron,” who was identified as a flood control project contractor.
All these, the commission said, was a product of 32 hearings that summoned 36 witnesses whose statements were processed in more than 1,100 pages of documents. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
******
Get real-time news updates: inqnews.net/inqviber
