Malacañang pushed back on Wednesday against doubts cast by Senator Rodante Marcoleta on the credibility of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which is investigating irregularities in flood control projects.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro underscored that the commission’s independence should be judged by its impartiality and integrity. “Ang pagiging independent ng isang investigative body ay makikita kung ito ba ay impartial, walang kinikilingan, walang kinakampihan, walang tinatanggap na suhol o napapabalitang tumanggap ng suhol para ipagtanggol ang nasasabing sangkot,” she said.
Castro also stressed that the ICI’s work will be grounded in evidence. “You just cannot get evidence out of thin air. Magmumula rin ito sa mga dokumento mula sa gobyerno, hindi lamang ‘yun ang titingnan ng ICI, lahat ng anggulo na maaari nilang makuha para makumpleto ang ebidensya, kukuhanin po nila,” she added.
The statement came after Marcoleta expressed concern that the ICI could be “too dependent” on information from other state institutions, especially after its recent meetings with Senate leaders Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Panfilo Lacson. “I’m a little bit worried about the collaboration that the blue ribbon committee and the ICI is now having without defining the limits, the nature, and the extent of the collaboration between the ICI… I don’t know how independent they can be if they are dependent on records, on information, or people that we can produce for them,” the senator said.
Responding to this, Castro noted there is nothing improper if the ICI works with the Senate and the House of Representatives, both of which are already investigating alleged corruption in the same projects. “Kung may maitutulong po ang Senado, ang House of Representatives sa kanilang mga naisiwalat na diyan sa pamamagitan ng kanilang pagiimbestiga, bakit naman hindi pwedeng itulong ito?” she pointed out.
