The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Monday formally turned over its documents and records to the Department of Justice (DOJ) as it winds down operations by the end of the month, amid ongoing scrutiny of alleged anomalies in flood control projects.
“Today, the ICI formally turned-over the documents and records that it has in its custody after its long investigation on the flood control anomalies to the DOJ,” department spokesperson Polo Martinez said.
“Right now, ang gagawin po ng DOJ, pag-aaralan itong mga documents na ito, see if it points to any leads we could use in the filing of cases eventually down the line,” he added.
Martinez noted that the DOJ cannot initiate complaints on its own and would instead refer the matter to the appropriate law enforcement agency after assessment.
“Alternatively, upon assessment of the documents, pwede ideretso rin ng DOJ mismo sa Ombudsman ang mga records na ito with its own recommendations and finding,” he added.
Present during the turnover ceremony were ICI chairman Andres Reyes Jr., Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon, and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag.
In a separate briefing, Malacañang deferred comment on reports that the ICI had cleared former House Speaker Martin Romualdez of involvement in the so-called “ghost” flood control scandal.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said any recommendation from the ICI had already been submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Okay, patungkol po doon sa rekomendasyon ng ICI, ito naman po ay isinumite na sa Ombudsman. So, hahayaan na lang po natin ang Ombudsman na mag-reveal nito para po bilang respeto,” Castro said.
(Okay, regarding the recommendation of the ICI, this has already been submitted to the Ombudsman. So, we will just let the Ombudsman reveal it out of respect.)
The clarification came after Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre claimed that the ICI had cleared Romualdez of liability.
Castro said Malacañang has yet to receive any formal communication on the matter.
She also addressed concerns on the commission’s funding, noting that the P41 million allocation for the ICI remains valid until Dec. 31, 2026.
“At kung may kinakailangan silang gastusin or bayaran for the winding up, maaari po nila itong gamitin at ang pondo na hindi po nagamit, ibabalik po ito sa un-appropriated surplus of the general funds sa National Treasury po,” Castro said.
(And if they have expenses or payments required for winding up (ICI operations), they may use it; and any funds that remain unused will be returned to the un-appropriated surplus of the general funds in the National Treasury.)
The ICI was created to investigate alleged irregularities in government infrastructure projects.
