ICI eyes plunder, bribery vs Jinggoy, Joel, Zaldy, others

MANILA, Philippines, October 30 ------ The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has recommended charges of plunder and bribery against six public officials, including Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, for participating in an elaborate scheme devised by Bulacan district engineers to funnel kickbacks from flood control projects.

ICI chairman Andres Reyes Jr. personally delivered piles of documentary evidence to the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday to accompany its 19-page interim report explaining how corruption in flood control projects under the jurisdiction of Bulacan’s first district engineering office took place. Other public officials named in the report were resigned Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co, former Caloocan lawmaker Mitch Cajayon-Uy, former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former audit commissioner Mario Lipana.

Their possible offenses, the ICI said, include direct or indirect bribery and corruption of public officials as defined by Articles 210, 211 and 212 of the Revised Penal Code, and violation of Sections 3(b) and (c) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. “With this filing, we remain true to our commitment to the Filipino people,” Reyes said. “No one will be spared in this fight against corruption.” “Politicians and government officials will be investigated and charged with credible evidence. Those found responsible will face the consequences and be held accountable under the rule of law,” he added.

The ICI clarified that the interim report is not tantamount to categorical findings of guilt, as “liability rests with the proper authorities.” This marks the second time that the ICI has made recommendations to the ombudsman since the commission began its work in mid-September.

The first one involved 18 officials, including Co, over a P289.5-million flood work in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro riddled with mismatched construction materials and improper documentation for progress billings. Amid public impatience that the probe into the multibillion-peso corruption in public works has been moving slowly, the ICI kept reiterating that it has no power to throw suspects behind bars and that its mandate is merely recommendatory.

The fact-finding body has been focusing first on the “low-hanging fruit” – 421 suspected ghost projects where cases can be built easily. Field validators from the Armed Forces, Philippine National Police and the planning agency have been conducting technical validation over the past weeks. Still, the commission would pursue everyone involved in the scandal, which has rocked government institutions, dampened business sentiment, and sparked threats of military adventurism. In a nod to the failures of the 2013 pork barrel controversy to weed out the big fishes, Reyes assured the public: “Justice will not be delayed this time. This is our promise to our countrymen.”

Source: philstar.com