By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) will submit a report to the Office of the President (OP), even as it remains unable to resume official operations due to lack of a quorum following the resignation of its two commissioners.
In a statement on Friday, the ICI said the departure of Rogelio Singson and Rossana Fajardo on Dec. 15 and 31, 2025, respectively, leaves Chairperson Andres Reyes Jr. as the only member.
Under Executive Order (EO) No. 94 issued by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in September 2025, the ICI, composed of a chairperson and two members, may only take official action with the approval of a majority of its members.
“Following the resignation of its two commissioners, the Commission is unable to resume its official operations until a quorum is restored,” the ICI said.
Despite the leadership vacancies, the ICI reported significant accomplishments before the two commissioners’ resignations.
As of Dec. 26, 2025, the ICI has already filed eight referrals with the Office of the Ombudsman, excluding joint referrals with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) involving nearly 100 individuals.
The referrals have resulted in the filing of three cases by the Ombudsman and the arrest of 16 individuals, the statement said.
The ICI has also undertaken efforts to recover billions of pesos worth of public funds allegedly lost to infrastructure-related irregularities.
Through coordination with the Anti-Money Laundering Council and other government agencies, over P20 billion in assets are frozen to date as part of recovery initiatives.
The ICI noted that it has also made a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and safeguards against corruption in large-scale infrastructure projects.
These include the automatic furnishing to the Bureau of Internal Revenue of all DPWH contracts and transactions exceeding P30 million; greater transparency in the national budget process; enhanced inter-agency coordination for real-time record sharing among oversight and law enforcement agencies; and establishment of a technical working group focused on asset recovery.
Other proposed measures are immediate suspension of payments for projects under serious review, creation of a centralized national registry and blacklisting system for contractors, stricter conflict-of-interest screening within the Office of the Ombudsman, stronger whistleblower protection and independent reporting mechanisms, live-streaming of the Commission’s investigative hearings, and institutionalization of a permanent, independent fact-finding body on large-scale infrastructure corruption.
“These accomplishments will be consolidated in a report currently being prepared by the Commission, summarizing its work and key actions from its establishment on Sept. 11, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025,
The report will be submitted to the Office of the President for its consideration in determining the next steps for the Commission,” the ICI said.
Pending further action, the ICI said it continues to process, organize, document and safeguard all records and evidence in its custody.
Speaking to reporters in Mandaluyong City on Friday, Marcos Jr. said the fate of the ICI would depend on “how much work they still have left,” noting that the fact-finding body is nearing the completion of its mandate.
