Senate to pursue independent probe commission

December 9, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will continue pursuing its proposed Independent People’s Commission (IPC) to investigate alleged infrastructure anomalies, even after Malacañang’s signaling its reluctance to have the measure certified, the chamber’s leadership said Monday.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said he was puzzled by the sudden change in the Palace’s tone, as he stressed that the government must not waver in its commitment to fight corruption in infrastructure projects.

“I wonder why Malacañang’s enthusiasm is lost all of a sudden,” Lacson told reporters.

Former Senate president Franklin Drilon said President Marcos risks a sharp public backlash if he blocks the proposal for the establishment of IPC.

“Congress should create an independent fact-finding (body) with a sunset clause. People are angry at the massive corruption and will get ANGRIER if the bill is vetoed. PBBM is playing with fire,” Drilon told reporters.

The Palace earlier expressed reservation on the Senate proposal to create the IPC, a body envisioned to pursue deeper investigations on alleged kickbacks and irregularities in flood control and other public works projects.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the IPC may face constitutional or functional issues, explaining it might overlap with the mandate of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Ombudsman.

Castro also said there is no need for President Marcos to certify the bill as urgent, as Congress is acting swiftly on it anyway, and there is no timeline yet for winding down the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI)’s operations.

Lacson, however, said the prospect of the IPC as a potential successor to the ICI is just one step Congress has taken in response to President Marcos’ order for an investigation on anomalous infrastructure projects.

“I still believe that the ICI is serving its purpose in flushing out useful information, to say the least, for the ombudsman and DOJ to proceed with their preliminary investigation and come up with solid cases against those responsible in the plunder of public funds,” he said.

“This, even when Congress has taken positive steps to follow the lead of the President in getting to the bottom of the unprecedented infrastructure anomalies never unearthed before by any of the past administrations,” he added.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, one of the authors of Senate Bill 1512, maintained that the Senate remains committed to moving the measure forward.

“Yes, we will. They have yet to study it anyway. We can discuss it with them at the proper time,” Sotto said.

Senate Bill 1512 on IPC seeks to establish a “balanced, effective and an independent investigative body” to probe what lawmakers have described as “systematic corruption” in government infrastructure spending – an issue magnified by reports of multibillion-peso kickbacks from substandard or ghost flood control projects. — Janvic Mateo