Malacañang said the newly appointed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla and the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) can work together to expedite the government’s corruption investigations, particularly on flood control and infrastructure projects.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this amid suggestions to abolish the ICI, as the cases the commission will build will rest with the Ombudsman anyway.

In her press briefing on Wednesday, Oct. 8, the Palace Press Officer said the ICI remains necessary even with Remulla’s assumption as Ombudsman, since the commission’s ongoing work will provide a foundation for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Ombudsman to pursue cases faster.

“Mas mapapabilis ang magiging trabaho at pag-iimbestiga ng Ombudsman at DOJ kung may kompleto na pong dokumento na manggagaling sa ICI (The Ombudsman and DOJ’s investigations will move faster if they have complete documents coming from the ICI),” she said.

She rejected suggestions to dissolve the ICI, saying that doing so would only delay the administration’s campaign to root out corruption.

“Gugustuhin po ba nila na ang Ombudsman lang ang magtrabaho dito? So hanggang kailan tayo aabutin para matapos ang isang kaso? (Do they want the Ombudsman alone to handle everything? How long will that take before a case is resolved?),” Castro said.

According to her, the ICI’s findings would allow the Ombudsman and the DOJ to focus on prosecution, instead of starting from scratch.

“Kailangan po talaga may isang independent commission na siyang tututok at magkokolekta ng mga dokumento… para mas mabilis magsasampa ng kaso ang DOJ at Ombudsman (We really need an independent commission to focus on gathering documents so that the DOJ and Ombudsman can file cases more quickly),” she said.

Castro said President Marcos expects incoming Ombudsman Remulla to serve the entire nation, emphasizing that his appointment reflects a mandate of transparency and accountability.

“Ang pagtatrabaho po ng Ombudsman Remulla ay para sa buong bansa, hindi para sa iisang sektor o iisang panig lamang na grupo ng mga Pilipino (Ombudsman Remulla’s work is for the whole country, not for any one sector or group of Filipinos),” she said.

She added that the President wants investigations to be handled fairly and without political bias.

Asked if Marcos’ directive includes the statement of assets and liabilities (SALN) of Vice President Sara Duterte and the flood control anomalies, Castro said the Ombudsman must look into any issue that warrants scrutiny.

“Kung ano po ang dapat na imbestigahan ay dapat pong imbestigahan. Hindi po dapat na may talikuran o kaya tulugan (Whatever must be investigated should be investigated. Nothing should be ignored or set aside),” she said.

Meanwhile, Castro reiterated that while the President continues to promote transparency, he will not interfere with how the ICI discloses its findings.

“Ang Pangulo po sa lahat ng mga pagkakataon gusto may transparency… Pero kung paano po ito gagawin ng ICI, nasa ICI na po ‘yan (The President always wants transparency, but it’s up to the ICI how to make its proceedings public),” she said.

She added that the Palace remains firm in supporting both transparency and institutional independence in all investigations related to corruption and misuse of public funds.

In an interview with Manila Bulletin’s “The Sit Down,” the President appealed to the public to give the ICI a chance, saying the commission’s work is important in building airtight cases against officials involved in corruption, effectively holding the truly guilty ones accountable.