Officials not deterred by resignations from ICI
The resignations of commissioners from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) do not serve as setbacks, but rather a part of a “natural” process, at least for the Ombudsman.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano on Saturday also pointed out that the ICI was created during the time when the office had no head yet, following the retirement of then-Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
Clavano was responding to the resignation of Rossana Fajardo as a commissioner of the ICI, which said it was already wrapping up its investigation into the alleged anomalies surrounding infrastructure projects.
Fajardo was the remaining commissioner after the resignation of former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson earlier this month.
Clavano, for the Office of the Ombudsman’s part, could not determine whether the resignations of Fajardo and Singson as commissioners would be a sign for the final days of the ICI.
“The Office of the Ombudsman sees this as the natural flow of things,” Clavano said in a statement to reporters. “The ICI was established during the transition from one Ombudsman to another to ensure quick and reliable fact-finding and investigation.”
“Whether this signals the end or a transition phase of the ICI, the Office of the Ombudsman will remain steady in its pursuit of credible and hard evidence, quality cases and real accountability,” he also said.
The ICI was created by President Marcos when he signed Executive Order No. 94 on Sept. 11, with a task to oversee investigations into the ghost and substandard projects of the government.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla took over the Ombudsman post in October, and over the course of three months, multiple referrals from the ICI and complaints from the public works department itself have been made.
