President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has acknowledged that he expected someone would question before the Supreme Court the legality of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) — a body he recently formed to probe alleged corruption in public infrastructure projects.
“The ICI is an entirely new entity that didn’t exist before, that we are only now completely defining. So there will be questions as to its legality, its constitutionality. And somebody, I know, will raise it,” Marcos said during a press briefing after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.
He admitted he was not surprised by the filing of a petition challenging the commission.
“I don’t know about the others, but I was sure somebody would have an idea that maybe it’s unconstitutional or that it’s unlawful,” he added.
The President was referring to the 22-page petition lodged by John Barry Tayam, a public school teacher, asking the high court to determine the validity and constitutionality of Executive Order No. 94, which established the ICI last September.
Despite the legal challenge, Marcos appeared unfazed, stressing that his administration would simply respond through proper legal channels.
“We’ll see how the Supreme Court decides. I haven’t looked into it in any great detail as yet,” he said.
The ICI serves as an independent, non-partisan fact-finding body mandated to investigate alleged anomalies in flood control and other infrastructure projects undertaken over the past decade.
Tayam’s petition argued that the ICI might face the same fate as the Truth Commission created by the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, which was invalidated by the Supreme Court for being unconstitutional. He also claimed the ICI’s powers might overlap with those of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Ombudsman.
Marcos, however, defended the move, saying critics should allow the ICI and other agencies to perform their respective mandates in pursuing corruption cases tied to the ongoing flood control controversy.
“It’s time to let the ICI do its work and let the Ombudsman (Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla) do his work and let the DOJ do their work. That is on the legal side, where we are going after those identified as part of this massive system of corruption,” the President emphasized.
The Chief Executive underscored that the creation of the ICI reflects his administration’s effort to ensure transparency, accountability, and systemic reform within the government’s infrastructure programs.