The House of Representatives remains focused on its duty to serve the people despite investigations of some of its members who were being linked to anomalous infrastructure projects, Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III said on Thursday.
In a statement, Dy stressed that accountability is part of a public servant’s duty, which is why all House members are ready to cooperate with any investigation, including that from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI). ‘Whatever happens, the House of Representatives remains focused on its duty to serve the people. Accountability measures are part of a public servant’s life, and all members-subject to investigations or not-are ready to help in any process while they continue to fulfill their roles as lawmakers,’ Dy said. ‘Now that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) filed a new joint case referral to the Office of the Ombudsman, our stand for accountability remains firm,’ he added.
According to Dy, since he was elected Speaker, he has emphasized that the House will respect the mandate given to ICI, and that lawmakers will cooperate with any investigation.
‘Since the first day of my tenure as Speaker, I have emphasized that the chamber respects the mandate of the ICI and that we will coordinate without second thoughts on these investigations. We believe that the truth should not be hidden and those who are at fault should be held accountable,’ he said.
‘In the end, the welfare of the Filipino people is our priority, and we will do everything we can to serve them rightly and justly,’ he added.
Over the past two months, the ICI has been busy investigating the involvement of different lawmakers in ghost or anomalous flood control projects.
On Wednesday, ICI recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of criminal and administrative cases against former and incumbent lawmakers who have links with companies that were awarded government contracts:
former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co (FS Co. Builders Supply)
Construction Workers Solidarity party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola (Newington Builders, Inc., Lourel Development Corporation, S-Ang General Construction and Trading Inc.)
Uswag Ilonggo party-list Rep. James Ang Jr. (IBC International Builders Corporation, Allencon Development Corporation
Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. Jernie Nisay (JVN Construction and Trading)
Bulacan 2nd District Rep. Augustina Pancho (C.M. Pancho Construction Inc.)
Cagayan 3rd District Rep. Joseph Lara (JLL Pulsar Construction)
Surigao del Norte 1st District Rep. Francisco Matugas (Boometrix Development Corp.)
Tarlac 3rd District Rep. Noel Rivera (Tarlac 3-G Construction and Development Corporation)
On Wednesday, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said that the investigation into the flood control project mess will affect more than 10 percent of the House members, as many lawmakers are also accused of being contractors.
‘Many will be affected. More than 10 percent of its members would be affected at the very least. Membership of the House,’ Remulla said.
‘But this is only low-hanging fruit. If this is eight, there will be around 12 to 15 more that have a conflict of interest. This will be painful, as I’ve said before; this entails a lot of sacrifice,’ he added.
Officials from the DPWH and ICI delivered boxes of their findings to the anti-graft body on Wednesday afternoon. The referral covers 1,300 infrastructure projects from 2016 to 2024.
Earlier, House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos assured the ICI that he is ready to cooperate with the body, adding that he is ready to appear anytime. Marcos, in a letter to ICI Chairperson Andres Reyes Jr. dated November 26, said he supports the body’s ‘efforts to uncover the truth’ behind the country’s infrastructure woes. Marcos’ name has not been floated as among lawmakers who are also contractors, but Co, in a video statement released on Tuesday and on Wednesday, implicated the Majority Leader as allegedly involved in the insertion mess for the 2025 national budget.
Co, the chairperson of the House committee on appropriations during the bulk of the 19th Congress, claimed that Marcos made insertions when budget discussions reached the bicameral conference committee stage.
But Marcos on Tuesday disputed Co’s claims, saying that it appears the former lawmaker has decided that his way out of accountability for the budget issues is to bring down the current administration. The younger Marcos claimed that intelligence reports state that Co is working with people destabilizing the government