By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday assured that the newly formed Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) would investigate alleged anomalies in flood control projects without sparing anyone.
“Well, there’s only one way to do it, isn’t there? They will not be spared. Nobody, anybody will say, ah, hindi, wala tayong kinikilingan, wala tayong tinutulungan. Wala namang maniniwala hanggang gawin mo eh,” Marcos told reporters in Malacañang.
The President also drew a contrast between the ICI and ongoing congressional inquiries, citing the new commission’s independence and politics-free setup.
“Nag-imbestiga sila, but they’re investigating themselves, which is always a little bit of a difficult situation. It’s hard to be fair. That is why we have taken great pains to make sure that that independence is respected, is recognized, and is observed. That’s what we plan to do,” he said.
He said that unlike the House and Senate, the commission’s members have “no ties to any part of government,” except for Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who was tapped as consultant.
Marcos also rejected claims by the think tank Ibon Foundation that billions of pesos in flood control allocations were concentrated on ruling parties, saying the real issue lies in implementation.
“Siyempre the majority party is the majority party so silang pinakamarami…The problem here is not the amount. The problem here is the use of those funds,” he said.
PBBM restores LGU clearance to safeguard infra projects
Local government clearance will once again be required before national infrastructure projects are considered complete, The President announced, saying this safeguard was removed during the previous administration and weakened accountability on public works.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Marcos said requiring local chief executives to formally accept projects before they are declared finished is an important check against substandard outputs.
“We are putting it back because that is one of the best safeguards that we have,” Marcos told reporters.
“Alala ko no’ng governor ako, walang pwedeng sabihin completed kung hindi accepted ng local government. Babalik natin ‘yun. Tinanggal nila in the last administration.”
He added that local officials are in the best position to verify whether infrastructure is built to standard.
“Kasi pagka nasa LGU ka, hindi mo naman pinakikitaan ‘yung project. Kaya ang maliwanag, titignan nito talaga na tama na ‘yung kalsada, eight inches talaga ‘yung konkreto,” he said.
PBBM to contractors: Fix substandard projects at own cost
The Chief Executive meanwhile ordered that contractors behind substandard infrastructure, particularly flood control projects, be compelled to redo their work at their own expense.
Speaking at a press briefing in Malacañang, Marcos said government projects have “warranties” which contractors must honor in case of defects.
“Kahit sinabi nilang completed, kapag nadiskubre na hindi tama ang pagkagawa, they still have to respect, they still have to honor the warranty that they have given us to complete the project properly,” Marcos said.
He said erring contractors will not be let off the hook.
“We can still go back to them at sasabihin natin sa kanila, ‘balikan ninyo iyong walang kuwentang project na ginawa ninyo at ayusin ninyo na maganda, out of your own pocket,” Marcos stressed.
The President also underscored that the focus of the ICI will be on accountability and financial losses.
“Don’t politicize this; it’s simple numbers dito, simple lang ito. Magkano ang ninakaw na pera ng mga balasubas na ito? That is what we need to know; that is what we need to fix,” he said.
The President also said cases could follow based on the ICI’s findings.
The commission was established following revelations of alleged irregularities in multi-billion-peso flood control projects, which Marcos flagged in his 2025 State of the Nation Address. (PNA)
