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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider ICI to start livestreaming hearings

ICI to start livestreaming hearings

Published Nov 21, 2025 01:52 pm
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) will start livestreaming its hearings on the anomalous flood control project.
ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka on Friday, Nov. 21, announced that it is now the "general rule" for the body to livestream all its hearings, which came amid clamors from the public for its proceedings to go live.
Although ICI already revealed in early November that it would grant the public's request, Hosaka just made the formal confirmation following the crafting of its livestreaming guidelines, which it also released on the same day.
But ICI's move to start livestreaming its hearings came with a caveat. According to Hosaka, executive sessions may still happen upon the request of the resource persons.
"Basically, ang sinasabi lang ng Commission is that the general rule is all proceedings and hearings of the Commission, henceforth, will be livestreamed, but subject to executive sessions as may be required by law, requested by government agencies, who are also investigating these anomalous infrastructure projects or as may be requested by our resource persons or witnesses," Hosaka said in a press conference.
The next ICI hearing, which is thus set to be livestreamed, is expected to happen next week, according to Hosaka, without mentioning the identity of the next resource person or the specific date of the hearing.
Guidelines
Under the guidelines, it is a general rule for the hearing to go live, except when an executive session is requested based on the following: national security, threat to the lives of the resource persons and/or interference to the probe of other agencies.
ICI cited the Section 3 of Rule IV of the Rules Implementing the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees or the Republic Act No. 6713 in laying out such conditions.
Meanwhile, ICI will conduct its livestream in a platform that is yet to be determined. Media entities may be allowed to tap into that platform subject to approval of the Commission, Hosaka said.
But the media's access may be revoked "if the ICI determines that the media entity has (a) violated the terms and conditions of the approval of its application, (b) violated the ICI Live Streaming Guidelines, and (c) committed acts detrimental to ICI and/or its functions and mandate under EO 94 or against any persons appearing before the ICI, without prejudice to such other legal sanctions that may be pursued by the ICI," according to ICI guidelines.
The guidelines also stated that the conduct of ICI's audio-visual recording and live streaming of its proceedings "shall at all times be under the sole control and supervision of the ICI."
"The equipment necessary for the live streaming of the Subject Proceedings shall be operated and controlled solely by the ICI," it added.
The guidelines also stated that, "no repeat airing of the audio-visual recording and/or live streaming of the Subject Proceedings shall be allowed without the prior written approval of the ICI."
That would be "except for brief footages and still images derived
therefrom, including cartographic sketches of scenes based on the audio-visual recording and/or live streaming, for bona fide news purposes," it added.
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