ICI hits the ground running in probe of anomalous flood control projects
By Trixee Rosel
At A Glance
- Three-member Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) starts probe on DPWH flood control projects.
- Panel chaired by former SC Justice Andres Reyes Jr.; members include Rogelio "Babes" Singson and Rossana Fajardo.
- Commission tasked with reviewing project implementation, scrutinizing contracts, and ensuring transparency.
- Meeting held to exchange data, set frameworks, and identify priority flood control projects.
The three-member Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) led by retired Supreme Court associate justice Andres Reyes Jr. hits the ground running and attends a briefing at the Department of Public Works Highways (DPWH) Building in Manila on Sept. 16, 2025. Also in photo are former DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson and SGV & Co. country managing partner Rossana Fajardo. (Photo courtesy of the Presidential Communications Office)
The three-member Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has buckled down to work to investigate irregularities in government infrastructure projects, prioritizing flood control, ICI special adviser and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Magalong said the panel, chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes Jr. with former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson and SGV & Co. country managing partner Rossana Fajardo, attended a briefing at the DPWH in Manila and began looking into the infrastructure projects of the department, aiming to gather evidence on possible anomalies.
Created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the ICI is tasked with reviewing project implementation, scrutinizing contracts, and ensuring transparency in public infrastructure projects to prevent misuse of funds and strengthen public trust.
“We will hit the ground running because the President and the people expect results, and we have to deliver them immediately,” Magalong added.
The commission held its first meeting Monday afternoon, exchanging data, discussing investigative frameworks, and identifying flood control projects recently visited by the President as initial priorities, he said.
Reyes, who served as a trial judge from 1987 to 1999, Court of Appeals Presiding Justice in 2010, and Supreme Court Associate Justice in 2017, will lead the investigation and is expected to produce timely recommendations.