Members of House of Representatives are elated with Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) Chairperson Andres Reyes Jr.'s announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 22 that its hearings would be livestreamed starting next week.

The ICI has been looking into massive flood control projects corruption scandal since last month. However, its hearings so far have been held behind closed doors.

"We look forward to these livestreamed proceedings and reaffirm our commitment to work with the ICI—not only on existing cases already transmitted to them, but also on future cases that Congress may take up at a later time," Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Ridon is the overall chairman of the House Infrastructure Committee (Infra comm), which has held two hearings on the flood control projects mess in the past.

"This is an important transparency measure to ensure that the public is fully informed of all disclosures, admissions, and evidence presented before the ICI—particularly those made by high-level officials, government employees, and private contractors identified during the investigations conducted by both the House Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee," he said.

"Similar to the very public nature of congressional inquiries, livestreamed ICI proceedings will enhance public discourse and strengthen accountability in governance, especially in the budget process and in project planning and implementation," Ridon added.

Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said Wednesday of the development: "Finally! We welcome the [ICI] announcement that it will livestream its proceedings. We thank the ICI for heeding our call to make its hearings open and transparent."

"Sa pagsasapubliko ng ICI hearings, hindi na lang ICI ang nag-iimbestiga. Kasama na rin ang taumbayan sa susuri at titimbang, hindi lang sa kanilang mga iniimbestigahan kundi pati na rin sa kung paano ang takbo ng kanilang imbestigasyon," said De Lima, a former senator and Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary.

(With the public disclosure of ICI hearings, it is no longer just the ICI conducting the investigation. The people are now also involved in examining and weighing not only those being investigated, but also how the investigation itself is being conducted.)

Equally ecstatic with the ICI's announcement was Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña. "Finally nakinig ang ICI na dapat napapanood ng publiko ang hearings. Pero paano ‘yung mga naunang hearing? Dapat full transparency hindi pwedeng selective (Finally the ICI has listened to the call to make its hearings public. But what about the previous hearings? There must be full transparency, we can't be selective)," he said.

"Dapat klaro din ang kahahantungan: may makulong, maisoli ang mga ninakaw, at maisabatas ang Open Bicam at Open Infra Bill! (The result must also be crystal clear: the culprits will get jailed, there will be restitution of the stolen funds, and the Open Bicam and Open Infra Bills will get enacted)" Cendaña said.

Rep. Chel Diokno greed with his fellow Akbayan nominee that the commission must also disclose previous discussions and decisions to ensure full transparency of the investigation.

"Karapatan ng publiko na malaman ang nangyayari sa mga pagdinig na ito dahil sila ang direktang mga biktima ng napakaraming katiwalian ukol sa flood control projects (The public has the right to know what is happening in these hearings because they are the direct victims of widespread corruption related to flood control projects)," Diokno said.

"Kapag livestream na ang hearing, masasaksihan ng taumbayan ang takbo ng imbestigasyon at kung paano papanagutin ang mga opisyal na sangkot sa pagnanakaw ng kanilang binayarang buwis," he added.

(Once the hearing is livestreamed, the people will witness the course of the investigation and how the officials involved in stealing their tax payments are held accountable.)

Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando says the least the ICI could do is release minutes of its previous hearings.

He further challenged the body to "prove that it can act independently and without political interference'.

“Uulitin natin, hindi ito judicial o quasi-judicial court. Ginawa ang komisyon para mag-imbestiga at magtipon ng ebidensya kaugnay ng flood control scandal. Pero kung ano mang makakalap nila, ipapasa rin sa Ombudsman. Kaya dapat bukas ito sa taumbayan mula umpisa pa lang. Transparency through livestreaming is the bare minimum," San Fernando said.

(I'll repeat: this is not a judicial or quasi-judicial court. The commission was created to investigate and gather evidence related to the flood control scandal. But whatever they uncover will also be forwarded to the Ombudsman. That’s why this should be open to the public from the very beginning.)

The ICI launched its hearings on Sept. 19. The first resource persons its summoned were former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan and former Bulacan district engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez.