The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) will livestream its hearings on the flood control controversy beginning next week, ICI chairman Andres Reyes Jr. said during Wednesday’s Senate hearing.
“We will try our best to be able to do a full-blast investigation of all this fraud. We don’t have the facility, we don’t have the rules of procedure, but we will already shorten the procedure in spite of no rules allowing us,” he said.
“We will now go on livestream next week once we get to be able to have the technical capability with us already,” Reyes added.
Reyes, along with ICI commissioner Rogelio Singson, appeared at the Senate to discuss a bill seeking to create an Independent People’s Commission (IPC) tasked to investigate anomalies in all government infrastructure projects.
Malacañang, which earlier backed calls for the ICI to be more transparent in its probe into alleged substandard and even “ghost” flood control projects, said the decision to livestream the proceedings was entirely up to the fact-finding body.
Both the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and the Iglesia Ni Cristo have called on the ICI to allow the public to watch hearings of its investigation.
“The matter rests with the ICI,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a message to reporters.
“Whatever they deem appropriate to show their impartial proceedings is within their discretion,” she added.
Several members of the House of Representatives expressed support for the ICI proceedings livestreaming.
Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said the move will enhance public discourse and strengthen accountability in governance.
“This is an important transparency measure to ensure that the public is fully informed of all disclosures, admissions, and evidence presented before the ICI—particularly those made by high-level officials, government employees, and private contractors identified during the investigations conducted by both the House Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee,” the House Infrastructure Committee co-chairperson said.
“We look forward to these livestreamed proceedings and reaffirm our commitment to work with the ICI—not only on existing cases already transmitted to them, but also on future cases that Congress may take up at a later time,” Ridon added.
Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said the decision of the ICI is a welcome development amid the growing clamor for transparency.
“The public has the right to know what is happening in these hearings as they are the direct victims of the anomalous flood control projects,” he said.
Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima thanked the ICI for heeding the call to make its hearings open and transparent.
“In making the ICI hearings public, it is not only the ICI that will investigate. The people can now also examine and assess not only those who are being investigated, but also the course of the investigation itself,” she said.
At the Upper House, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said: “We are very glad they heeded the clamor of our public that they allow the livestream.”
Earlier, ICI executive director Brian Hosaka said the fact-finding body wants to avoid “trial by publicity” and undue political influence if all aspects of the proceedings are opened to the public.
Hosaka said the commission is wary of unverified statements that may be made by resource persons that could confuse the public.
