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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider ICI responds to remarks of Zaldy Co's lawyer

ICI responds to remarks of Zaldy Co's lawyer

Published Nov 5, 2025 05:06 pm

At A Glance

  • The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has reiterated that its mandate to probe anomalies in the flood control projects is based on President Marcos' own directive.
ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka
ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has reiterated that its mandate to probe anomalies in the flood control projects is based on President Marcos' own directive.
This, after the lawyer of former Ako Bicol Party-list representative Zaldy Co, Ruy Rondain, apparently questioned ICI’s power over such matter.
“We’re just complying with our mandate. We recommend and we refer to the Office of the Ombudsman or any other prosecutorial agency with regard to any comments or opinions on that matter,” ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka said in a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Rondain, in a rare press conference since Co’s implication in the flood control project controversy, questioned the ICI’s referral of cases to the Ombudsman against the former solon.
Co was among the four incumbent and former lawmakers who were recommended by ICI to the Ombudsman for filing of corruption, bribery and plunder charges.
The others were Senator Joel Villanueva, Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former Caloocan 2nd district representative Mitch Cajayon-Uy.
For Rondain, ICI’s referred cases cannot even be considered as a complaint because it is “something that has been sworn under oath".
“And the only thing I've heard is the ICI has referred its tentative findings to the Ombudsman. I don’t think it’s under oath, so I don’t think that was a complaint,” he said.
Hosaka dismissed Rondain’s point, arguing that it was just a “matter of defense on their part".
But he said it should "probably be considered by the Office of the Ombudsman or by other prosecutorial office or body".
Co’s lawyer also maintained the beleaguered former congressman’s innocence from the flood control projects mess. He pointed to the dearth of any strong evidence to warrant a complaint against him.
Hosaka insisted that everything that the ICI does--particularly the recommendation of possible charges--was based on the evidence it had gathered.
“I can just state for the record that as far as the ICI is concerned, it is based on our evidence gathering, it is based on the facts that we've accepted or discovered and these are, it's all there,” he said.
“We are in fact acting on the basis of our investigation on the basis of testimonies and on the basis of evidence given to us,” he added.
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