The House of Representatives will suspend its investigation into anomalous flood control deals to pave the way for a “full and impartial” probe by the government’s fact-finding body, a congressman said on Wednesday.
Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III will turn over all documents the House joint infrastructure committee has collected during its hearings into bogus flood control contracts to the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), Party-list Rep. Terry L. Ridon said in a media briefing.
He said the joint House panel investigating questionable flood control infrastructure would hand over a trove of evidence, including testimonies linking top officials “in the Executive and Legislative” to substandard or nonexistent flood mitigation structures in Bulacan province.
“We are announcing the suspension of proceedings of the House Infrastructure Committee to give way to the full and impartial proceedings of the ICI,” he said, adding the congressional panel is willing to cooperate with the fact-finding body.
The Philippines is facing a widening scandal over billions of pesos worth of flood control projects, with Congress launching separate investigations amid allegations of kickbacks tied to public works contracts.
Lawmakers have traded accusations during parallel hearings, raising concerns over the credibility of the inquiries.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has formed an independent commission to investigate anomalies in flood control and other infrastructure projects, with authority to recommend criminal, civil, and administrative charges.
Mr. Dy on Monday said the House should let the independent commission take the lead in the investigation into bogus flood control contracts. “Most Filipinos no longer believe what’s being uncovered in the House committee,” he told reporters in Filipino.
Mr. Ridon said the House joint committee will keep its inquiry suspended “for as long as the ICI is… doing the work for transparency, accountability and justice.”
The Marcos administration has been rocked by an unfolding flood control scandal involving substandard, incomplete, or nonexistent infrastructure in a country regularly battered by flooding.
The controversy stems from Mr. Marcos’ revelation in August that more than 6,000 flood control projects launched since 2022 lacked key details. About P545 billion has been allocated for flood control since then, with P100 billion cornered by top contractors. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
