PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday said the composition and powers of an independent investigating commission he is creating will be known by tomorrow.
The body will investigate allegations of anomalies in flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“Within the next 48 hours, I will already announce the powers that we are granting to the independent commission, and the members of the independent commission,” the President said in an interview in Cambodia before he returned to Manila.
“We have made very sure that they are in fact independent, truly independent. So, walang pulitiko diyan, puro imbestigador, abogado (So, there is no politician there; all investigators, lawyers). It’s a technical exercise,” he added.
The President said the independent commission will be granted powers that will enable it to determine which flood control projects are non-existent or substandard, and to identify individuals and groups responsible for misusing and pocketing public funds.
Marcos said it would need subpoena powers to summon individuals linked to the anomalous projects. He rejected the idea of giving the commission the power to declare persons in contempt if they refuse to appear or brazenly lie before the commission.
“I don’t think that’s the role of the commission. The commission needs a subpoena power to compel people to come, and to testify and to provide information to the commission. This is an investigative commission. So, they are not there to actually mete out punishment to whoever. They are there to find out the facts,” he said.
He also said that the independent commission’s findings and recommendations will be submitted to the Department of Justice or the Office of the Ombudsman for action.
The President last week said the executive order creating the independent commission was being finalized and t would be given all the powers it needs to make sound conclusions and recommendations.
He ordered the creation of the body amid reports of anomalous flood control projects and corruption in the DPWH, which have resulted in failed, incomplete and “ghost” projects nationwide.
Senate President pro tempore Panfilo Lacson, also the new chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, said he does not see any conflict between h the Senate investigation and the independent commission.
He said he will furnish the commission with documents gathered during the Senate hearings to help in the prosecution of those who will be found liable.
“No, they won’t because they are separate. If we find evidence, we will pass it to the independent commission. I have talked to (Public Works) Secretary Vince Dizon about this,” he said adding he has provided Dizon documents based on his first privilege speech last August 20.
The National Bureau of Investigation Retirees and Ex-Employees Association called for the establishment of an independent inter-agency commission to conduct a probe on the ghost and substandard flood control projects.
The group through its president, former NBI-NCR chief Ricardo Diaz, said in an open letter that the ongoing congressional hearings are compromised because of the alleged involvement of some lawmakers on the mess.
“In light of these circumstances, we call for the establishment of an independent inter-agency commission dedicated to investigating these ghost projects. The commission must be composed of individuals of proven probity and integrity, including experienced investigators and forensic experts from the NBI, PNP, DOJ, Office of the Ombudsman, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council,” the group’s open letter said.
“The gravity of this scandal cannot be overstated. If left unaddressed, those responsible will evade accountability, and the substantial public funds lost will likely never be recovered,” they also said.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr, also chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), aired support for a speedy and impartial investigation into the anomalous flood control projects.
“Not only do these projects drain the public coffers, they also pose a threat to lives and cause additional waste of direly needed resources which other areas of the disaster spectrum need to address so that others may live,” he said in a statement.
Teodoro said the NDRRMC’s efforts to strengthen the country’s disaster resilience “will be for naught if these projects meant to protect our communities are manipulated into nefarious schemes for the unscrupulous few.”
“The NDRRMC and its member agencies are fully behind the administration’s anti-corruption drive, which will have far-reaching effects in our bid to mitigate the impacts of disasters and climate change,” he also said. – With Raymond Africa, Ashzel Hachero, and Victor Reyes
