President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday vowed to set up a “truly independent” commission to investigate alleged corruption in flood control projects, a move he said is aimed at restoring public trust as Filipinos continue to grapple with worsening floods.
Speaking before flying home from a three-day state visit to Cambodia, President Marcos said the commission’s mandate and members will be revealed within 48 hours.
“Within the next 48 hours, I will already announce the powers that we are granting to the independent commission and the members of the independent commission,” the president said.
“We have made very sure that they are in fact independent, truly independent. So, there are no politicians there, just investigators, lawyers. It’s a technical exercise,” President Marcos added.
The President said the body will have subpoena powers to compel testimony and gather evidence, but stopped short of granting it contempt powers.
Its job, he explained, is to establish facts and identify which projects were either non-existent or poorly built, and who benefited from the misuse of funds.
Findings will be forwarded to the Department of Justice or the Office of the Ombudsman for possible prosecution, he added.
Last week, President Marcos confirmed that an executive order is being prepared to form an independent commission to probe alleged anomalies in DPWH projects.
The body will investigate and recommend whether cases should proceed before the DOJ or Ombudsman.
“The more we look, the more we find. Even in the 2026 budget, there’s still a lot slipped in,” Marcos said, stressing the need to “clean out” corruption in the department.
He said the commission’s structure and membership, likely including forensic experts, lawyers, prosecutors, and justices, are still being finalized.
