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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sotto meets with ICI to discuss gov't budget process, how 'insertions' work

Sotto meets with ICI to discuss gov't budget process, how 'insertions' work

Published Sep 22, 2025 01:28 pm
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III will be meeting with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to discuss the government's budget process and how insertions are made possible.
Senate President Vicente
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III (Senate PRIB photo)
"I was invited by ICI to shed light on how the usual budget process of government or of the Senate goes," Sotto said in an interview on Monday, Sept. 22.
"How the insertions are possible, and how it is done. Whether it’s insertions individual or institutional. They want me to brief them on how it is done," he added.
As of writing, Sotto is on the way to the ICI.
President Marcos recently established the ICI to investigate the widespread corruption in the country’s infrastructure, particularly in flood control, following the massive flooding that happened in the country at the height of the typhoons last July.
Earlier, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing investigating the anomalous flood control projects in the country, said the whole flood control project mess could have been avoided if only senators and congressmen had not made budget insertions into district engineering offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Meaning, there would have been no funds to meddle with in the first place.
Meanwhile, Sotto said that together with Lacson and members of the Senate, they had a consultation on Monday morning with Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla.
"Consultation on the witnesses that we have, the resource persons that we have, the persons in contempt, and what are the plans in the next few days as far as the hearing is concerned about…more or less ganun yung (that was the) topic," Sotto said.
Lacson added that they also discussed with Remulla the recommendations for admission to the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
The Blue Ribbon panel has scheduled its next hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Lacson earlier said that no hearing would be conducted unless there was a new development.
However, before this, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan Assistant Engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez was earlier granted a 12-hour release from Senate detention to collect evidence to substantiate his claims against Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva regarding budget insertions, including a 30 percent "SOP" or kickback from flood control projects.
He has so far retrieved documents, including a computer. In addition to this, ICI Special Adviser Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong gained a lot of "better leads" from their interview with Hernandez.

Related Tags

Tito Sotto ping lacson Independent Commission for Infrastructure flood control probe Senate Blue Ribbon Committee
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