HOUSE SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday said the chamber will continue with its investigation into bogus flood control deals, amid swelling outcry over corruption in infrastructure projects.
He said the House would still continue to pass productive bills aimed at addressing the needs of ordinary Filipinos despite carrying on with its inquiry.
“Let us continue the investigations against corruption so that the truth will come out,” he said in a statement.
He also said the House will not protect congressmen that would be implicated in bogus flood control deals, describing the controversy as “bigger than personalities.”
“The House will not be a refuge for wrongdoing,” he said in a separate statement. “Not even its own members will be shielded if wrongdoing is proven.”
Reports of anomalies in multibillion-peso infrastructure contracts have ignited public outcry and prompted scattered protests across the Philippines, a country frequently hit by severe flooding.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has since established an independent commission to investigate flood control deals awarded in the past decade to look into alleged large-scale corruption.
Mr. Romualdez said the fact-finding body would be “an opportunity to cleanse the system,” and the House is prepared to assist in its investigation to help fast-track the inquiry.
Several House committees have also begun checking if there are procurement process loopholes that lawmakers may plug to contribute to anti-corruption government efforts, he added.
Also on Monday, a coalition of congressmen urged Mr. Marcos to prioritize the approval of a bill seeking to institutionalize an independent commission to investigate bogus flood control deals via law.
Filed last week, House Bill No. 4453 proposes the creation of a five-member commission to investigate alleged corruption in flood control projects. It would be granted full access to state records and have subpoena and contempt powers for non-compliance.
“For an investigative commission to be truly independent, powerful, representative and efficient, it must be created by law,” House Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Leila M. de Lima said in a media briefing. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
