Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos’ commitment to fund a law to make the proposed permanent infrastructure probe body ‘bulletproof’ and truly independent in pursuing corruption cases.
‘We have to find a way to speed up the investigation, the filing of cases, and for us not to be distracted. The problem of ICI is that they themselves admitted that ‘we have no powers.’ And they are also arguing about the direction of their work,’ Cayetano noted.
Cayetano’s remarks came after President Marcos gave assurances that the government is ‘committed to make sure that they can fund their investigation,’ following reports that the ICI has yet to receive an approved budget from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Moreover, Cayetano also reminded authorities that while the administration’s funding pledge is a good start, financial support alone is not enough.
Also Cayetano urged Congress to pass the proposed law authored by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, which seeks to institutionalize the ICI as a permanent, non-partisan anti-corruption body with broader powers.
‘We must be focused . The law must make it faster, focused, and truly independent,’ Cayetano said, partly in Filipino.
He also called for broader representation within the commission, suggesting the inclusion of opposition and faith-based members to ensure independence, citing the US model of independent or special counsels.
‘Sa US, if you are an independent or special counsel, your funds and your actions are truly independent,’ he said.
Cayetano added that the ICI should also be granted contempt powers to compel cooperation during investigations while still respecting constitutional rights.
‘Imagine this: if there’s a hearing but no contempt power, then they will just ignore the probers,’ he said in Filipino.