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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Drilon: ICI 'dead', should be abolished

Drilon: ICI 'dead', should be abolished

Published Jan 10, 2026 05:17 pm
Former Senator Franklin Drilon believes that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) can no longer function in its current state, adding that it's already a "dead" body due to the President's inaction.
In an interview with Usapang Senado on DWIZ, Drilon stated that with only its chairman, retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr., left, the ICI should be abolished.
He went as far to claim that pulling the plug appears to be Malacañang's intention.
"Dahil di sila nag-aappoint ng kapalit. So talagang ang intention ay buwagin yung ICI (It's because they are not appointing replacements. So the intention is clearly to dismantle the ICI)," Drilon said.
"Sa akin wala nang silbi yang ICI na yan because of the inaction on the part of the President (To me, the ICI is no longer of any use because of the inaction on the part of the President)," he added.
Last to resign from the ICI was Commissioner Rossana Fajardo on Dec. 26. This was preceded by the departure of Babes Singson just 11 days earlier.
For Drilon, the ICI right now is more than a lame-duck--it's already dead.
"It's a dead body. It cannot function," Drilon said.
"I cannot understand how they function when it's just Justice Reyes," he added.
When it comes to the anomalous flood control investigation, Drilon said that it's the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Commission on Audit (COA) that have jurisdiction. He stated the ICI is more of a recommendatory body anyway.
Drilon also stated that the ICI can be abolished despite the absence of the Independent People’s Commission (IPC) Act.

Related Tags

Franklin Drilon Independent Commission for Infrastructure President Marcos Malacañang Flood control scandal
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