The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Monday, Oct. 6, said it will keep its hearings on flood control projects behind closed doors amid mounting calls for the body to make them public for the sake of transparency.

Although the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's investigation into the flood control projects was suspended and even Senate President Tito Sotto called on the ICI to make its deliberations open, ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka said its policy remains status quo.

"The policy of the commission on this matter is still the same. Thank you," he said in a Viber message to reporters.

He reiterated that hearings have been set to Tuesdays and Wednesdays only as the "ICI continues to organize and address administrative matters together with its continued work on case build up and evidence review."

Hosaka, who was appointed on Sept. 24, had earlier said ICI hearings would be kept private to "avoid a trial by publicity".

“We don’t want the commission to be used for any political agenda or to leverage kaya nag-iingat po kami (that's why we're taking care)," he said in an ambush interview.

But information coming from the resource persons invited to the hearings have betrayed the alleged involvement of even more government officials to the corruption scandal.

Along with other senators, the Senate President himself had called for the ICI deliberations to be livestreamed.

Senator Ping Lacson has also announced his resignation as chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee that has investigated the flood control projects, supposedly due to pressure from his colleagues.

"I vow to make the budget process in the Senate transparent in all stages. I hope the ICI will make its deliberations public. I hope and pray that the judiciary will jail and find guilt in all those who are," Sotto said.