The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, formally known as the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, will push through with its probe on infrastructure anomalies despite President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s signing of Executive Order No. 94 creating the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III stressed that the Senate’s primary duty is lawmaking, and its inquiry will continue.
“HOR might terminate. Not the Senate. We will continue in aid of legislation,” Sotto said in a message.
For his part, Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson, who now chairs the Blue Ribbon Committee, said the Senate inquiry would not clash with the ICI’s work. He added that all information and evidence gathered by the committee would be shared with the commission.
Meanwhile, the House Committee on Infrastructure said it is prepared to investigate its own leader, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, if evidence proves his alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects and kickbacks.
But House Infrastructure Committee Chairman and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon clarified that such a move is not possible for now due to lack of evidence.
“Pero thus far, wala pa naman at yung mga sinalang namin talaga naman may mga napangalanan, may anomalous projects and transactions,” Ridon said.
It may be recalled that couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya earlier implicated Romualdez and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, alleging that they received 25% kickbacks from flood control projects.