Philstar.com
December 28, 2025 | 12:58pm
MANILA, Philippines — The push for a permanent anti-graft body looking into anomalies in the infrastructure sector heightened following the resignation of Rossana Fajardo, the second of the ad hoc commissioners enlisted to tackle corruption.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson said legislation to create the investigative panel is urgent, having found the temporary Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) useful in gathering information that could lead to prosecutions.
“The bill creating the IPC must be passed to institutionalize the function of the ICI and make it part of the law of the land,” he said in an interview on DWIZ radio, as quoted in a news release.
Fajardo’s resignation, announced Friday, December 26, becomes effective at the end of the year, weeks after another commissioner, Rogelio Singson, stepped down.
The commission’s spokesperson had said that the body has gathered enough evidence to keep working for two years, with recommendations for case case buildup prosecution. With key members departing, some lawmakers have said the ICI is effectively defunct.
For Lacson, the current ICI’s lack of permanent limits its effectiveness, noting commissioners do not have immunity from countersuits and cannot cite individuals in contempt, powers that could strengthen investigations.
Proposed Independent People’s Commission
Legislation creating an Independent People’s Commission (IPC) has been filed in both chambers of Congress and has been identified as a priority measure by the Marcos administration.
Under Senate Bill 1512, the IPC would replace the ICI with a permanent body empowered to conduct comprehensive probes into alleged anomalies in government infrastructure, including issuing subpoenas, citing persons in contempt, granting witness immunity, and recommending hold departure orders, among other powers.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has said the IPC bill may be passed next year, after lawmakers complete work on the 2026 national budget.
The push for a permanent anti-corruption body has also drawn support from business groups, which urged Congress to fast-track legislation to strengthen safeguards over public spending and infrastructure projects.
President Ferdinand Marcos’ office has stressed its priority is passage of the IPC bill over simply filling vacancies at the ICI, as resignations underline the need for a more enduring institutional framework. — Camille Diola
