Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has filed a bill seeking to establish a powerful independent body that will dig into corruption and anomalies hounding government infrastructure projects.
“We owe it to the Filipino people to ensure that public funds are utilized efficiently, honestly and transparently in the construction of all government infrastructure projects,” Sotto declared.
Filed as Senate Bill No. 1215, the measure is officially titled the 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.
Sotto stressed the need for a dedicated commission, saying existing agencies are spread too thin and fail to concentrate on irregularities involving infrastructure.
“While there are agencies of government which investigate corruption, they are not specializing nor focusing on anomalies of government infrastructures,” he said.
Under the bill, the proposed Independent People’s Commission (IPC) will be a specialized watchdog mandated to investigate anomalies in all government infrastructure undertakings.
Its members will include:
- A retired Supreme Court (SC) or Court of Appeals (CA) Justice as chairperson
- A certified public accountant with expertise in forensic accounting
- A licensed civil engineer or architect
- A representative from a reputable non-governmental organization
- An academician specializing in public administration or economics
The commission would be tasked to probe misuse of funds, ghost projects, substandard constructions, and other irregularities that have long plagued government infrastructure.