It was a moment thick with irony: even as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) digs into irregularities that involve members of Congress, resigned commissioner Rogelio “Babes” Singson said the commission must now rely on the same institution for the budget and powers it never fully received.
In a press conference on Thursday, December 4, Singson said the ICI was established by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. under urgent circumstances without adequate funding, explaining that while a budget was publicly discussed, none of it was actually allocated to the commission.
He stressed that the ICI does not possess sufficient legal authority to carry out its mandate quickly, prompting him to appeal to both the Senate and the House to immediately pass the IPC and ICAIC bills.
“Walang budget, kulang sa budget—ganoon ang sitwasyon,” he said. “That is why I am appealing to members of Congress: ipasa na ninyo ang IPC sa Senate at ang ICAIC sa lower house version.”
According to Singson, lawmakers committed to approving the measures before the end of the year, which he said would provide a stronger independent commission with powers the current ICI lacks.
“They committed they will pass it before the end of the year so you will now have a much stronger independent commission with proper powers and authorities,” he said.
The resigned ICI commissioner noted that while legal reforms may take time, administrative measures and regular public reporting remain vital, emphasizing that under Executive Order 94, the ICI assists investigations, prepares cases, and refers them to the Ombudsman.
“With the legal work taking time, administrative measures become very important so the public sees that something is happening, and our role is to help investigate and prepare cases for the Ombudsman,” he said.
Singson added that the commission urgently needs a dedicated technical team to sort through the boxes of documents submitted to the ICI so each case can be examined and those responsible can be identified.
“What ICI needs now is a strong team to go over the boxes delivered here so each document can be processed and the people responsible can be identified,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to the PNP and AFP for deploying 64 ground investigation teams to support the commission, pointing out that the ICI still has no regular manpower and that some volunteers have yet to receive any compensation.
“We are very appreciative of the support given to us by the PNP, AFP because they provided some 64 ground investigation teams to ICI which ICI does not have up to today. I think wala pang nagsusweldo sa mga volunteers dito,” he said.
Singson said the commission cannot shoulder the workload alone and appealed directly to congressional leaders to pass the strengthened ICI bills before year-end, stressing that the support of both chambers is essential for the body to function effectively.
“We are appealing to the leadership of the House and Senate—please pass that before the year ends because ICI on its own cannot carry the burden,” he said.
