00:00To strengthen the power and authority of Independent Commission for Infrastructure, ICI,
00:05lawmakers are pushing on transforming it into the Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption, or the ICAIC.
00:13Once transformed, what power and authority will it hold?
00:17In this Marilas Moras report.
00:21Navota City Representative Toby Tianco is hoping President Ferdinand R. Marquez Jr.
00:26will sign the proposed measure that strengthens the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, or ICI, before the year ends.
00:34Yesterday, after hours of discussions, the House Committee on Government Reorganization has approved the substitute bill for this.
00:41Under the proposal, the existing ICI will be transformed into the Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption, or ICAIC.
00:50Its powers will also be expanded, including the authority to issue whole departure orders,
00:56recommend cancellation of passports, file complaints against those involved in corruption, and freeze or sequester their assets.
01:03The proposal also mandates that the Commission's hearings must be live-streamed, except when an executive session is truly necessary.
01:11According to Tianco, this measure will greatly help the government's anti-corruption campaign once passed,
01:16which is why he expects the proposal to move quickly.
01:20Sabay na mabilis gumagalaw eh. Mukhang nauna pa yata ng isang araw yung pag-approve ng Senate nung kanilang version, di ba?
01:30Doon sa committee. So nakita natin na kahit sila yung nagbabudget hearing, talagang pinaprioritize nila ito.
01:36So ang mangyayari niyan, ang target is mabaykam before mag-break. And I think we have enough time.
01:43Aside from the bill's swift passage, other lawmakers are also urging that those proven to have been involved in corruption be punished ASAP.
01:53Tingog Partili's representative, Jude Acidre, said,
01:55Accountability cannot prevail if it's weaponized by selfish partisan interest and biases without evidence.
02:02That's why speculations and fake news must also be vanished.
02:06Meanwhile, Las Piñas City representative Mark Anthony Santos stressed that the Ombudsman's investigation must be completed sooner in the name of justice and to protect public funds.
02:16Mela Les Moras from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
