President Marcos Jr.’s plan to organize an independent commission to investigate flood control anomalies is a timely and bold move aimed at rooting out corruption and inefficiency in infrastructure spending.
To make this commission truly effective, its composition and priorities must reflect both technical rigor and public accountability.
The President has emphasized a diverse and expert-driven team.
The ideal members of this commission should include forensic investigators to trace financial irregularities and uncover ghost or substandard projects; legal experts, including prosecutors, justices, and anti-corruption lawyers to assess liability and recommend legal action; as well as civil engineers and urban planners to evaluate the technical soundness of flood control projects.
It should also tap auditors from the Commission on Audit, to cross-reference findings; civil society representatives to ensure transparency and public trust; and ethics and governance specialists to propose structural reforms and safeguards.
President Marcos Jr. has said he would give the commission subpoena powers to compel testimony and access documents, which would be essential for a thorough probe.
The priorities of the independent commission should be to investigate and document anomalies; identify ghost projects, budget insertions, and substandard construction; and trace accountability across all levels of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The commission should also recommend legal action and submit cases to the Office of the Ombudsman or Department of Justice for prosecution.
The commission should audit budget allocations. It should also scrutinize past and upcoming budgets, including the 2026 budget, for suspicious entries.
The commission needs to propose systemic reforms to include legislative or administrative changes to prevent future abuses; introduce transparency mechanisms like public dashboards or whistleblower protection.
The Sumbong sa Pangulo platform recently put in place by Malacañang to gather citizen reports and feedback is a step in the right direction.
Other reforms that can be proposed by the commission must include open contracting and competitive bidding online, with independent observers allowed in all procurement processes.
If the Marcos Jr. administration wants lasting impact, the reforms proposed by the independent commission could turn flood control from a vehicle for widespread corruption into a showcase of good governance and its twin goals of transparency and accountability.
