A committee of the House of Representatives on Thursday approved a measure seeking to institutionalize a government anti-corruption body focused on corruption in public works, as part of efforts to strengthen investigations into the widespread multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
Congressmen approved countless substitute bills that seek to empower the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), just days after the pledge by House Speaker Faustino “Bozzi” Deputy III, as pressure grows on a public tired of corruption.
A copy of the amended bill was not immediately available, but it provides for granting wide powers to the proposed investigating body such as authorizing it to investigate allegations of graft, corruption, ill-gotten wealth and plunder in public works projects of the national government.
It is also proposed that the Commission include a retired senior judge, an engineer, an accountant, a public finance academic and a representative of an NGO. They will operate under a sunset provision, with their mandate set to expire in 2028. , Kenneth Christian L. basilio
