MANILA, Philippines – Twenty Philippine business groups are supporting bills that would create an independent body more empowered than the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) established by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

In a joint statement on Wednesday, December 10, the 20 groups urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to pass the following:

• Senate Bill No. 1512, an act creating an Independent People’s Commission to investigate anomalies in all government infrastructure projects, defining its powers and functions, appropriating funds therefore, and for other purposes. The bill’s authors are Senate President Tito Sotto, and senators Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, and Erwin Tulfo.
• House Bill No. 4453, an act establishing an Independent Commission to investigate the misappropriation of funds for flood control and other infrastructure projects, endowing it with extensive investigative and subpoena powers, providing for a secretariat, and for other purposes. This bill is authored by representatives Leila de Lima, Adrian Michael Amatong, Kaka Bag-Ao, Percival Cendaña, Chel Diokno, Edgar Erice, Jaime Fresnedi, Dadah Kiram Ismula, Krisel Lagman, Paolo Marcoleta, Elijah San Fernando, and Alfonso Umali Jr. There’s a similar measure — House Bill No. 5699, an act creating the Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption (ICIAC) — authored by Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco.

The business groups also urged Marcos to certify these bills as urgent. 

“A fully empowered IPC (Independent People’s Commission) or ICAIC ( Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption) will strengthen the capacity of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice to pursue corruption cases more effectively and restore credibility to the pursuit of integrity in public service. At present, the ICI functions only in an advisory capacity. It may request the presence of resource persons and recommend courses of action — whether the filing of charges, the seizure of assets, or the issuance of hold-departure orders — but it cannot act decisively on its own,” the business groups said.

They said the IPC or ICAIC will have “full investigative and prosecutorial powers” including:

• conducting comprehensive probes into allegations of corruption in government projects;
• filing administrative and criminal cases against erring public officials, employees, and private sector partners; 
• recommending needed reforms in our laws, systems, and institutions. 

“At a time when blatant and widespread misuse of public funds has eroded confidence in our institutions, our nation is confronting a profound crisis of public trust. The Filipino people deserve nothing less than the full truth,” they said.

“A truly independent IPC or ICAIC will guarantee transparency and accountability — no cover-up, no sacred cow, no political maneuvering. It will safeguard the people’s money and help rebuild the people’s trust that is essential to a healthy democracy,” they added. 

On Tuesday, December 9, the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) included the Independent People’s Commission Act as one of 48 measures in the Common Legislative Agenda for the 20th Congress. 

The three other reform measures on transparent and accountable governance are: Anti-Dynasty Bill; Party-list System Reform Act; and the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act. 

In a Department of Economy Planning and Development (DEPDev) media release, the government said Senate Bill No. 1512 on the Independent People’s Commission will consist of five members: 1) a retired Supreme Court justice as chairperson; 2) a Certifiied Public Accountant; 3) an engineer or an architect; 4) a representative from a reputable non-governmental organization; and 5) a representative from the academe. 

It can conduct motu proprio investigations; issue subpoenas; access records, sites, contracts, and documents; recommend and request freezing of assets; and issue immediate preventive suspension orders against government officials involved.

In addition, it will have powers to enter into memoranda of agreement with the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, Department of Justice (DOJ), and other agencies for joint investigations, cooperative mechanisms, and data sharing. 

Former public works secretary Rogelio Singson, who resigned from the ICI effective December 15, had lamented the lack of powers of the ICI. 

He also said the Philippines was way behind countries that have institutionalized anti-corruption bodies. He cited Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption as examples.

The 20 Philippine business groups supporting the IPC and ICAIC are the following: 

1. Bankers Association of the Philippines
2. Cebu Business Club
3. Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry
4. Cebu Leads Foundation
5. Connected Women  
6. Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc.
7. Federation of Philippine Industries
8. Filipina CEO Circle
9. Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines
10.  Fintech Alliance Philippines 
11. Institute for Solidarity in Asia
12. Institute of Corporate Directors
13.  Makati Business Club
14.  Management Association of the Philippines
15.  Nextgen Organization of Women Corporate Directors 
16.  People Management Association of the Philippines 
17.  Philippine Association of Securities Brokers and Dealers, Inc. 
18.  Philippine Women’s Economic Network
19.  Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines
20.  UP School of Economics Alumni Association 

– with a report from Patrick Cruz/Rappler.com