Sandro Marcos ready to face ICI

MANILA, Philippines — House majority leader and Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos is ready and willing to appear before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to shed light on the allegations of former Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co against him involving the flood control project anomaly.

“Let me state this clearly and without hesitation, I am willing to appear before the Commission at any time. I welcome the opportunity to shed light on any matter that may assist your review,” Marcos told the ICI in a letter dated Nov. 26, 2025 addressed to chairman Andres Reyes Jr.

Marcos said he stands ready to cooperate, answer questions and provide any clarification needed to move the investigation forward.

“I extend my full respect to the work of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and its efforts to uncover the truth behind the ongoing investigation on flood control projects,” Marcos said.

“Please inform my office of the schedule you deem appropriate. You have my commitment that I will be there,” he added.

Co earlier accused Sandro and his father, President Marcos, of ordering insertions in the 2025 national budget.

In response, Sandro said Co’s allegations are part of a destabilization attempt against the government.

“These are not revelations. This is destabilization. He wants to bring down the administration so he can be absolved of his crimes,” he said, adding Co has no credibility.

ICI executive director Brian Keith Hosaka said Thursday the fact-finding body “takes note” of Marcos’ commitment to appear before the ICI and share what he knows about the flood control mess.

“The commissioners would have to convene and decide when the congressman will be available for a hearing,” Hosaka said.

Construction workers solidarity party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola yesterday belied allegations of Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste that he is involved in irregularities surrounding flood control projects.

“I was disheartened to hear my name mentioned on alleged irregularities in flood control projects. To be implicated in such matters is painful, not only for myself, but also for the people I have pledged to serve with integrity,” Gardiola said in a statement.

“I categorically deny any involvement in the acts being alleged. These claims are untrue,” he said, adding that as a public servant, he is accountable to the people.

Meanwhile, Leviste asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to release the database of proponents in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to prove its commitment to transparency and reform.

“The DPWH has a database of the proponents in the NEP, which they should release if they are truly for transparency. There were ?721.83 billion insertions for 2025 and ?496.97 billion insertions for 2026, and I cannot in good conscience watch DPWH claim to be for transparency without pointing this out,” Leviste said in a statement.

Leviste said the DPWH may be reluctant to release the full data because it includes projects proposed not only by congressmen and senators, but also Cabinet secretaries, undersecretaries and others.

“In fairness to the legislature, it is not only the congressmen and senators who have insertions,” he said.

Leviste raised these concerns after meeting the ICI on Nov. 18 to discuss the files that he obtained from the office of former DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral detailing the lists of proponents in the NEP.

He noted that the ICI told him that DPWH did not give them these files or any list of proponents and that Cabral’s office had been “cordoned off” the first time they visited last September.

In Quezon City, 5th district Rep. PM Vargas said yesterday that his voluntary appearance before the ICI is a fight for truth.

“We voluntarily appeared before the ICI to fight for the truth,” Vargas said in a statement. “We just showed to the ICI all the documents and other proof that there is no Discaya projects in District 5 and there are also no ghost projects in our district.”

Vargas and 6th District Rep. Marivic Co-Pilar, like their colleagues, asked for a closed-door session, hindering the ICI from livestreaming their hearings.

Co-Pilar has previously confronted contractor Curlee Discaya during a House hearing, telling him to stop spewing lies because “we never met, we never knew each other and, above all, I have no transaction with you.”

Pulong slams Kabataan party-list

In Davao City, 2nd District Rep. Paolo Duterte on Wednesday issued a strongly worded statement criticizing Kabataan party-list after the youth organization raised concerns about alleged corruption involving Duterte and other officials.

Duterte accused Kabataan of hypocrisy, questioning what he described as the group’s lack of accountability for the alleged recruitment of young people into left-leaning organizations linked to armed groups.

“If Kabataan Partylist truly represents the youth, they should first serve as an example of honesty, not distortion of truth and repetition of old leftist propaganda,” Duterte said.

Duterte also hit back at Kabataan’s criticism involving public funds.

“They boldly accuse others of being untrustworthy with money, but remain silent on the trillions allegedly stolen by their allies in the past,” he said, arguing that the group becomes “aggressive” only when the Duterte name is involved.

He further questioned whether the group’s stance was genuinely anti-corruption or simply “anti-Duterte.”

Kabataan party-list has yet to issue a response to Duterte’s remarks.

In Bacolod City, a former councilor asked the ICI to investigate ghost and substandard flood works in the city.

Lawyer Renecito Novero, chairman of the Council of Concerned Citizens – Bacolod, said his group had discovered up to 50 anomalous flood works in the city from their private investigation.

“We are not necessarily saying that this is conclusive, but this is a fundamental basis upon which the ICI and Senate Blue Ribbon Committee can commence their own official investigation to verify and authenticate our own investigation,” Novero told reporters.

For his part, Speaker Faustino Dy III said the House of Representatives is focused on its primary duty to serve the people. – EJ Macababbad, Diana Lhyd