Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, overall chairperson of the House Infrastructure Committee (Infra Comm), on Wednesday announced that the mega panel moved to suspend its hearings on the flood control mess.
“Today, we are announcing the suspension of proceedings of the House Infrastructure Committee to give way to the full and impartial proceedings of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI),” Ridon told reporters.
He said the infra comm will cooperate with the ICI and it will submit pertinent documents that will help the investigating body ferret out the truth.
“Within the next few days, the Infra Comm will turn over all transcripts, documents and other pieces of information and evidence to the ICI, and it is our commitment to fully cooperate with the ICI on any and every aspect of our previous proceedings,” said Ridon.
Ridon also reported that the Infra Comm hearings had resulted in the following:
- The resignation of members of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) over allegations of unexplained wealth and licenses for sale;
- The disclosure of one billion pesos in cash assets of MG Samidan Construction, one of the 15 largest flood control contractors named by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr;
- The disclosure of the financial statements of all Discaya-linked firms from 2014 to 2023, which showed the sharp rise of their consolidated revenues during the Duterte administration, and that such massive revenues have been sustained up to the present;
- The initial testimonies and evidence linking high-level officials in the executive and legislative to the ghost and substandard flood control projects in Bulacan, all of which are relevant and indispensable to the ongoing and developing Senate Blue Ribbon Committee proceedings.
Ridon also noted that the House panel implemented transparency measures during the course of the proceedings such as mandating the disclosures of possible conflict-of-interest issues for participating members as well as the no interpellation and immediate recusal protocol for legislators named.
Ridon said the mega panel also intends to propose legislation that ensure:
- Private sector participation in project inspections;
- Legitimate civil society participation in project procurement;
- Proponent identification and public disclosure in each and every program, activity or project proposed at any and every stage of the budget process: National Expenditure Program, House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittees, Senate Finance Committee and Subcommittees, Bicameral Conference Committee; and
- A stronger ICI, particularly the granting of subpoena and contempt powers.
“The House Infrastructure Committee has full faith in the mandate, integrity and competence of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure,” Ridon said.
“We trust that through its work, the ICI will be able to ensure transparency, that it will be able to ensure accountability, and most important of all, that it will be able to ensure justice,” he emphasized.
