‘Romualdez or nothing’: Can the ICI extract real accountability?

If no big fish, including former House speaker Martin Romualdez, will face charges, then the much-touted Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is nothing but a way to “soften the cushion of the public outrage.”

This is according to civil society group August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM), who called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to keep his promise of not sparing his first cousin. It emphasized that “for sincere accountability, [it should be former] speaker Romualdez at the minimum or nothing.” 

“This is the only sincere way to show the people how serious you are about accountability,” the group said in a recent statement. “Otherwise, palabas lang ito lahat para pakalmahin ang taumbayan at tuloy ang ligaya ng mga magnanakaw sa gobyernong ito.” (It’s all just for show to appease the public while the thieves in this government continue to prosper.)

Marcos established the ICI on September 11 to look into alleged multi-billion-peso corruption involving flood control and other public infrastructure projects.

Former lawmaker Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co has accused Marcos and Romualdez of accepting kickbacks from infrastructure projects. He claims that, between 2022 and 2025, he funneled a total of P56 billion to them, in addition to an alleged P100-billion budget insertion attributed to the two officials.

Worse than Agrava Fact Finding Board

The ICI and the Department of Public Works and Highways recommended filing plunder, graft, and bribery complaints against Romualdez and Co in November.

There have been no notable developments concerning Romualdez since then, even if there are rumors that the ICI will soon shut down. 

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla in early December signaled that the commission likely has only “a month or two” remaining before it finishes its investigation and hands over its full report to his office. 

This comment followed the resignation of former DPWH secretary Babes Singson from his post as ICI special adviser. Although he cited health reasons for stepping down, Singson had earlier highlighted the commission’s limited authority, expressing hope for “a much stronger independent commission with proper powers and authorities that ICI doesn’t have.”

With all these developments, ATOM said that the ICI has so far been “proven to be worse” than the Agrava Fact Finding Board, a body that was formed following the assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr. in 1983. 

The board recommended the filing of charges against Fabian Ver, the loyal military man of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was eventually acquitted by the Sandiganbayan in 1985 “as people had expected during that time.” 

ATOM said that at least the Agrava board “went as high as Ver during that time…one step short of pinning down the conjugal dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda.” 

“Pagod na ang taumbayan sa pampalubag-loob na mga hakbang, na mga ‘dilis or mga butete’ lamang sa malawak na lawa ng korapsyon ang mga nababanggit na kakasuhan,” the group said. “Hindi ito katanggap-tanggap at isang insulto sa taumbayan. Tuparin ang mga pangako.”

(The public is tired of measures that are merely meant to appease, with only ‘small fish’ in the vast sea of corruption facing cases. This is unacceptable and an insult to the Filipino people. The administration should fulfill its promises.) 

Can ICI prove the public wrong? – Rappler.com