Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo has called on the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to make its investigation into corruption in flood control projects fully transparent, saying that the process itself must be open to public scrutiny.
“The investigation should be open and should be witnessed by the public. We believe that in order to achieve peace, we need to continuously investigate these anomalies, and these should be done with transparency and without favor,” Manalo said in a statement read by INC spokesman Edwil Zabala on Net25.
Manalo stressed that the religious group is closely monitoring the Senate and ICI inquiries, noting that political debates and heated exchanges have already sown confusion among Filipinos. He urged that both the findings and the process of the investigation be credible and free from doubt.
“As it should be, the persons behind the theft of hundreds of billions of pesos from public funds should be made accountable,” he added, emphasizing the importance of justice, especially amid the economic struggles of ordinary citizens.
Malacañang, meanwhile, reiterated that the ICI operates independently. “We will not interfere with the ICI. The ICI has independence and that is also true for the Senate,” said Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, adding that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “does not want a cover-up.”
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) also turned over documents to the ICI related to the luxury vehicles of contractor couple Sarah and Curlee Discaya, who are linked to the corruption scandal. BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the bureau supports “a fair, comprehensive and evidence-based review process,” noting that 13 of the 30 confiscated luxury cars will be auctioned, potentially earning the government ₱220 million.
The ICI’s leadership also saw a transition this week as retired PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. replaced Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as special adviser. Magalong revealed that around 25 cases are ready to be filed and cautioned unnamed individuals not to interfere with the new adviser’s work.
While Magalong maintained that the ICI’s closed-door hearings were meant to handle sensitive information, watchdog groups like the Right to Know Right Now Coalition insisted that transparency is crucial in exposing what it described as “systemic and widespread” corruption in flood control projects.
In a separate event, Archbishop Socrates Villegas marked his 40th year as a priest with a sharp message against corruption, saying during Mass, “Before I die, I hope the corrupt go first,” followed by a prayer that those involved in wrongdoing would repent before facing their end.
