The Technical Working Group of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and various government agencies convened on Thursday to discuss asset recovery relative to the anomalous flood control projects.
The meeting concentrated on pinpointing the primary areas from which funds could be retrieved and establishing a framework for accountability.
So far, the Anti-Money Laundering Council has secured five freeze orders from the Court of Appeals on bank accounts and assets worth P4.4 billion.
This includes 1,632 bank accounts 54 insurance policies, 163 motor vehicles, 40 real properties and 12 e-wallet accounts.
The participants—which included officials from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), among others—underscored the significance of transparency and collaboration among agencies to guarantee that future projects are managed efficiently.
The ICI is responsible for investigating irregularities in flood control projects involving lawmakers, public works officials, and private contractors. The discussions also underscored the necessity for more stringent oversight mechanisms to avert similar issues in forthcoming government initiatives.
“The purpose of our meeting is to discuss and finalize the framework for interagency coordination, information sharing, and legal procedures related to the recovery of public funds and assets from irregular and anomalous transaction projects,” said ICI Chairman Andres Reyes Jr.
“This technical working group will also outline operational guidelines, timelines, and priority actions to fully support national asset recovery and accountability initiatives,” he added.
Reyes also mentioned that the conference will address methods to prosecute all individuals involved in these transactions.
This marks the second occasion the ICI has organized a recovery meeting with government agencies in light of the alleged pocketing of public funds from flood control deals.
Reyes said justice alone is not enough to heal the nation and that all government agencies are working together to pool resources to recover the assets of criminals involved in these projects.
“All those persons responsible for this may be prosecuted and jailed, but to completely heal our nation, justice is not enough. We need restitution,” he said.
The commission pointed out that the money could have been used on building schools, hospitals, and road projects but was instead “burned wantonly on useless luxuries and vices.”
On Wednesday, the ICI recommended to the Ombudsman the filing of administrative and criminal charges against Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, as well as former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, Commission on Audit Commissioner Mario Lipana, and former Caloocan City Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “ICI, gov’t agencies discuss asset recovery measures”
