BY ATTY. JULIUS GREGORY B. DELGADO
INDEPENDENT PEOPLE’S COMMISSION ACT
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) encountered another setback when another member of the commission in the person of Rossana Fajardo resigned. The ICI is a five-member ad hoc fact-finding commission in the Philippines tasked with investigating flood control and other infrastructure projects implemented from 2015 onwards. It was established on September 11, 2025, through Executive Order No. 94.
With the recent resignation of Fajardo and earlier resignations of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson, the question now is if ICI can still function and fulfill its mandate when it is only its Chairperson, Retired Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes, Jr. is left. While a new round of arrest was made this week including Sarah Discaya in relation to an infrastructure project in Davao Occidental, the crusade against infrastructure corruption clearly hit a snag.
On November 12, 2025, Senate Bill No. 1512 was prepared and jointly submitted by the Committees on Justice and Human Rights, Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, and Finance, with Senators Tito Sotto III, Rissa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan as authors. Senate Bill No. 1512 (AN ACT CREATING AN INDEPENDENT PEOPLE’S COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE ANOMALIES IN ALL GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES). The Independent People’s Commission Act is essentially the institutionalization of the ICI from being just a mere ad hoc fact-finding commission.
The Independent People’s Commission will investigate anomalies, document, and recommend measures to address corruption, mismanagement, and negligence in the planning, procurement, and implementation of public infrastructure projects. The Commission shall specialize in the technical, engineering, and financial audit of such projects – including, but not limited to, procurement processes, contract variations, right-of-way acquisitions, and project implementation-and shall serve as the primary repository of government infrastructure data.
Under the proposed measure, its mandate and scope states that it shall serve as an independent, non-partisan, and fact-finding body mandated to investigate, document, and recommend actions on anomalies in government infrastructure projects and shall perform the following to perform its mandate: a) conduct comprehensive, independent, and technical investigation of all reported or alleged irregularities in the planning, procurement, and implementation of government infrastructure projects, including but not limited to corruption, ghost projects, overpricing, and the use of substandard materials. Such investigations shall cover all projects implemented by the National Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, local government units (LGUs), and government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs); b) identify individuals and entities, whether in the public and private sector, who are responsible for, participated in, or benefited from such anomalies; and c) in coordination with the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice (DOJ), or other concerned agencies, the Commission may recommend the prosecution or further investigation of individuals or entities.
To sustain the campaign and crusade against institutional corruption, it behooves for the swift passage of the Independent People’s Commission Act early next year before the adjournment of the first regular session of the 20th Congress.