ICI’S BIGGEST FAILURE IS THE REFUSAL TO INVESTIGATE MARCOS AND MALACAÑANG
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said the biggest failure of the soon-to-be-disbanded Independent Commission for Infrastructure is its refusal to look into the role of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in enabling the massive flood control corruption mess.
The year ended without any agency or commission investigating the link between Malacañang and the rollout of pork barrel projects and anomalous insertions in the national budget approved by the president. The ICI’s sin of omission is the willful dismissal of the allegation that Marcos is culpable for the large-scale corruption under his administration.
At the minimum, ICI could have verified the claims of Zaldy Co that he delivered billions of kickbacks to Marcos and his top subordinates in Malacañang.
ICI has recommended the filing of charges against some officials, but it ultimately failed to pinpoint the masterminds and main beneficiaries of the flood control corruption scandal.
The ICI’s ignoble end is its own undoing. It promised to livestream its sessions, but it ended up turning the people’s demand for truth and accountability into a closed-door transaction among corrupt bureaucrats.
The abrupt closure of ICI will affirm that the real reason for its creation is to distract public attention, divert corruption investigations, and whitewash the accountability of Marcos and Malacañang.
Bayan calls on the people to continue to push for accountability by holding protests and denouncing the continued insertion of pork barrel funds in the 2026 budget. Bayan said it will mark the 40th anniversary of Edsa in February by holding anti-corruption protests across the country.
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