The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Former public works Secretary Rogelio Singson, after recently resigning from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), appealed to lawmakers to immediately pass a bill that aims to strengthen ICC’s power in investigating corruption in flood control projects.
Singson lamented ICI’s lack of resources that limits its powers to investigate politicians and their collaborators from the private sector involved in anomalous infrastructure projects.
Singson said, “We want to convey that ICI does not have enough powers to be able to execute as quickly as we can what we need to do.”
“I appeal to members of the House and the Senate to pass the (legislation on) IPC or Independent People’s Commission at the Senate, and the ICAIC (Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption), which is the lower House version,” he said.
Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said Singson had been following up on the status of the ICI bill in Congress. She said, “He told me – ‘We really need more powers because of the sheer volume of cases, matters and referrals we’ve been getting.”
While a House panel already approved creation of the ICAIC, the Senate already sponsored a bill establishing the IPC. But neither has been certified as urgent by the President.
Both chambers will adjourn after Dec. 19, to resume on Jan. 19, 2026.
Singson is still hopeful Congress will act favorably on the measure. “They committed they will pass it before the end of the year, Hopefully, by end of the year, you will now have a much stronger independent commission with proper powers and authorities.”
“The burden of this problem cannot rely solely on ICI. We need strong support from the Office of the President and from both houses of Congress. Otherwise, on its own, without the necessary powers, unfortunately, it will not move as fast as we want to,” he added.
Singson also clarified that when he told Caloocan Rep. Egay Erice that the ICI has become a “punching bag” and a deodorizer of Malacañang, he meant the commission remains powerless to compel witnesses to the point that the public blames it for the snail-paced corruption probe.
“We were absorbing a lot of the flak for something we have no power to do,” Singson said yesterday.
“People say we should jail the corrupt, but we have no power to do it. Everyone blames the ICI for being slow, for supposedly protecting the big fish. All kinds of accusations have been thrown against us,” the resigned ICI commissioner lamented.
Malacanang Presidential spokesperson Undersecretary Claire Castro said there are efforts to make it appear that the ICI is no longer credible because of Singson’s resignation so the public would have a negative view of the investigating body.
She said, “The job of the ICI is really difficult. They meet every day. They hold hearings. They have to read voluminous documents. The job of the ICI is not a joke.”
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he hopes President Marcos will certify as urgent a Senate bill seeking a stronger investigative body.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) earlier reported they expect the Philippines to miss its economic growth targets through 2027, warning that the fallout from a public works corruption scandal has weakened infrastructure spending and dragged down overall activity.
In its latest outlook, the OECD cut its 2025 growth forecast to 4.7%, below the government’s 5.5% to 6.5% target and sees only a mild pickup to 5.1% in 2026 and 5.8% in 2027, still short of the state’s 6%-7% goal.
The OECD said growth could recover if infrastructure projects resume and reforms draw in more private capital, but it cautioned that risks remain tilted to the downside amid weak global demand, export pressures, and uncertainty over the pace of government spending.
According to a WR Numero survey, despite ICI’s active role in fighting corruption, nearly two out of five Filipinos remain unaware of the ICI; and while 63% have heard of the independent body, only about 19% said they are well-informed.
The survey further showed trust among Filipinos aware of the ICI is divided – with 37% saying they trust the ICI to conduct an impartial investigation into alleged corruption in flood control projects against 32% saying they don’t and 31% saying they are unsure.
Political alignments strongly shape perceptions: 67% of Marcos supporters trust the body, compared with 50% distrust among Duterte supporters. Trust is fragmented among opposition supporters and is weakest among political independents.