ICI remains credible but stronger support needed against corruption

By Erika Mae P. Sinaking and Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

THE RESIGNATION of former Public Works Secretary Rogelio “Babes” L. Singson from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) did not put a dent in the anti-graft body’s credibility, officials said on Thursday.

In a press briefing, Mr. Singson rejected claims that the ICI would be “dead” without him but noted the independent body in its current form remains limited.

“The burden of this problem cannot rely solely on ICI. We need strong support from the Office of the President and from both houses of Congress. Without the necessary powers, the commission will not move as fast as we want to,” the outgoing commissioner said.

ICI Chairman Andres B. Reyes, Jr. confirmed Mr. Singson’s resignation on Wednesday, citing health and security concerns. Some lawmakers described the exit as a serious blow to the commission’s investigative and technical capabilities, noting Mr. Singson’s extensive public works expertise.

Malacañang reassured the public over the stability of the ICI, likewise, rejecting claims that the former Public Works official’s resignation — and earlier, Baguio Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong — had weakened the body’s credibility.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said over DZMM that the Palace “respects” Mr. Singson’s resignation.

The 77-year-old Mr. Singson said he tendered his irrevocable resignation, which will take effect on Dec. 15, “because of the stress, my 77-year-old body cannot take it anymore.”

He said he had been in and out of the hospital and experienced a decline in his health, citing new maintenance medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol, heart concerns, and elevated creatinine, and that everything in his body is “red flagged.”

“I hope, and I wish that people will understand the reason for my resignation. I feel that I’ve done what I have to do for ICI, but I have to also answer to the needs of my family, family concerns, and my own personal life. I want to get back my privacy.”

REFORMS NEEDED
Mr. Singson pressed lawmakers to expedite approval of measures that would establish a more powerful anti-corruption body.

“I am appealing to members of Congress, both the House and the Senate,” Mr. Singson told a press briefing. “Pass the IPC [Independent People’s Commission] at the Senate level, and the ICAIC [Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption], which is the lower house version.”

He noted that lawmakers had committed to approving the measures before yearend, creating “a much stronger independent commission with proper powers and authorities that ICI does not have.”

The proposed anti-corruption measures include House Bill No. 4453 and Senate Bill No. 1215, which will institutionalize and strengthen the body by granting it contempt, subpoena and freeze order powers.

In an interview with BusinessWorld in early November, the commissioner said that despite the Office of the President’s approval of its P41-million budget for the remainder of 2025, the ICI had yet to receive its funds. “Our capital outlay is one million. How many computers is that?” he quipped.

Mr. Singson reiterated this in an interview with One Balita Pilipinas on Thursday, noting that the commission continues to operate without funding.

“The ICI is also frustrated because we have not received any funds; even our printer is borrowed,” he said in Filipino. “We lack personnel and have no funds for salaries. Until now, our staff at the ICI are still volunteers.”

“I have to ask the private sector to lend us printers and bring our own laptops. If there’s a will, things can move quickly.”

Mr. Singson also stressed that other agencies must act on corruption linked to the alleged flood control scam.

“The burden looks at ICI. We have to look at other remedies, like the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) and BI (Bureau of Immigration),” he said, adding that contractor income-understatement issues are now being discussed by the commission’s technical working group.

He clarified that he has not received any salary from the ICI, covering only out-of-pocket expenses such as gasoline and security. He added that his successor should ideally be a “lawyer-CPA, not an engineer.”

Despite ICI’s active role in fighting corruption, nearly two out of five Filipinos remain unaware of the ICI and while 63% have heard of the independent body, only about 19% said they are well-informed, a WR Numero survey found.

Additionally, trust among Filipinos aware of the ICI is divided, with 37% saying they trust the ICI to conduct an impartial investigation into alleged corruption in flood control projects against 32% saying they don’t and 31% saying they are unsure.

Political alignments strongly shape perceptions: 67% of Marcos supporters trust the body, compared with 50% distrust among Duterte supporters. Trust is fragmented among opposition supporters and is weakest among political independents.

Still, support for the ICI’s core recommendation — filing charges against officials allegedly involved in irregularities, including Senators Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva and Jose P. “Jinggoy” Estrada — is high.

Nearly seven in 10 Filipinos aware of the ICI, or 69%, agree with pursuing prosecutions. Only 12% disagree.   

The survey was conducted from Nov. 21-28 with 1,412 respondents and has a ±3 percentage point national margin of error.

LIKE EXCISING CANCER
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said his administration will continue with what he described as painful but necessary “major surgery” to root out corruption and systemic abuses in government — admitting the campaign has caused disruption and public frustration but insisting the long-term payoff will outweigh the hardship.

Speaking at a fellowship night on Wednesday, Mr. Marcos likened the reforms to “excising a cancer” from a complex system, saying the process was always bound to inflict economic and political costs.

“We may be bleeding now, but we will also heal very quickly,” he said, adding that the government is “not lost” and has a clear plan to stabilize the situation.

The remarks come as the administration faces slowing economic momentum, heightened scrutiny over public works anomalies and increasingly polarized public discourse, placing pressure on Mr. Marcos to reassure investors and citizens that his reform agenda remains on track despite short-term political and economic costs.

He added that he expected resistance to the crackdown, which has triggered high-profile investigations and exposed abuses that he claimed have persisted for “the last three decades.”

The corruption scandal has weighed on the Philippines’ third-quarter growth, which slumped to its lowest in over four years at 4%.

This is also below the government’s target of 5.5% to 6.5% growth for the full year, but Mr. Marcos earlier said he is counting on boosted government spending for the fourth quarter to reach the growth goal.

The Budget department earlier said it is expecting boosted holiday spending to help with economic rebound.

The Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday expected the Philippines to miss its economic growth targets through 2027, warning that the fallout from a public works corruption scandal has weakened infrastructure spending and dragged down overall activity.

In its latest outlook, the OECD cut its 2025 growth forecast to 4.7%, well below the government’s 5.5% to 6.5% target and sees only a mild pickup to 5.1% in 2026 and 5.8% in 2027, still short of the state’s 6%-7% goal.

The OECD said growth could recover if infrastructure projects resume and reforms draw in more private capital, but it cautioned that risks remain tilted to the downside amid weak global demand, export pressures, and uncertainty over the pace of government spending.