Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has called on the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to open its hearings on the alleged anomalous flood control projects to the public, stressing that transparency is essential to maintaining trust in the investigation.
In an interview on Wednesday, Carpio questioned the decision to keep the proceedings behind closed doors, calling it “suspicious” and counterproductive to accountability.
“So bakit hindi ito open to the public? At least to the media, kahit walang live streaming, it should be open to the public. There should be transparency in other words,” Carpio said.
He warned that the lack of openness could further damage public confidence in the ICI’s integrity.
“Because of these closed-door hearings, people will lose faith in that ICI. That’s the number one thing that they have to correct,” he added.
Carpio also urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to order the commission to make its proceedings public, emphasizing that the ICI was created through an executive order and thus remains under the President’s authority.
Meanwhile, ICI Executive Director Brian Keith Hosaka maintained that the commission’s decision to hold private hearings was deliberate, explaining that it aims to avoid “trial by publicity” and prevent political interference in the investigation.
The ICI is currently probing billions of pesos worth of alleged “ghost” and overpriced flood control projects across the country, several of which have already been linked to influential politicians and contractors.