Goodbye, ICI?

Is it the end for the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI)?

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla hinted that the commission’s days are numbered, saying ICI may have only “a month or two” left before it wraps up its probe into anomalous flood control and public works projects and turns everything over to his office.

“‘Yun ang direksyon niyan, kasi hindi naman forever ang ICI at meron namang batas na nag-create ng Office of the Ombudsman na ngayon naman ay very active kami,” Remulla told GMA’s Unang Balita on Friday, December 5. Remulla was appointed Ombudsman in October, almost a month after ICI was created.

(That’s the direction where it’s headed, because the ICI isn’t meant to last forever, and there is a law that created the Office of the Ombudsman, which we are now very active in.)

ICI, barely three months old, was created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on September 11, 2025, to investigate multi-billion-peso corruption in flood control and other public infrastructure projects.

Under the current setup, ICI submits referrals to the Ombudsman. The constitutional body then conducts fact-finding and preliminary investigations, then later decides whether a case reaches the courts.

When asked if the commission is really shutting down, Malacañang neither confirmed nor denied it.

Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Palace hasn’t discussed the matter yet, but acknowledged that with the Ombudsman actively pursuing the same issues, “maaaring maging ganoon” (that’s a possibility).

“Pero as of now, wala pa po tayong pinakadetalye o anumang update patungkol diyan,” Castro said in a press briefing on Friday, December 5.

ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka stressed “the commission will remain in place and continue its functions until it completes its mandate or is dissolved by the President.”

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Resignations stir uncertainty

Remulla’s comments came just days after former public works secretary Babes Singson quit as ICI commissioner, citing health reasons.

But the resignations may not end with Singson. Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong — who also resigned as ICI special adviser — revealed on One PH’s Sa Totoo Lang that another ICI official is preparing to leave. He refused to name who, but with ICI’s tiny roster, the guessing game isn’t hard.

Some of the remaining members of ICI are Chair Andres Reyes, Commissioner Rossana Fajardo, Special Adviser Rodolfo Azurin, and Hosaka.

Since its creation, critics questioned ICI’s transparency. There was a demand to livestream its hearings.

The demand to livestream hearings grew after both the House tri-committee and Senate blue ribbon committee stopped their investigations. ICI eventually publicized hearings, but many witnesses evaded the cameras by invoking “executive sessions.”

‘Weak’ institution

Even insiders admit the commission is weak. Singson himself said ICI doesn’t have enough powers. It can’t even compel a witness to appear.

Budget delays didn’t help either. Funding was approved only in early November, months after ICI’s creation. Hosaka said that the notice of cash allocation was released on Friday, December 5. He said that the commission is already coordinating with the Land Bank of the Philippines to determine if it can start using its allotted funds.

So is it the end for ICI? Well, in the House and Senate, there are pending bills that seek to create an independent commission tasked to investigate corruption in the country.

Singson said he hopes that also before yearend, there would be “a much stronger independent commission with proper powers and authorities that ICI doesn’t have.”

If ICI folds, a new investigative body could mark a fresh start. But with lawmakers and even some executive members linked to flood control anomalies, can such a commission be truly independent and transparent? – Rappler.com