ICI blues Is the ICI in the ICU?

With the resignation of Rogelio “Babes” Singson from the corruption fact-finding independent commission that is the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, pretty soon, we might hear the last gasp from this anomalous critter.

An organization with no budget except what can be spared by the president, with no powers except what could be frantically cobbled together by a legal team probably given marching orders to produce --or else, and with members appointed from some random little black book, what else can we expect for this sui generis entity?

If it may even be considered an entity. Would this qualify as a juridical person under our laws? Perhaps, it was just a tiny collection of hopes, an assemblage borne from desperation and expediency, an idea that wasn’t well thought through. Why should we expect anything to be birthed from the loins of this limping, whimpering red herring?

Certainly not justice. With no powers to fling corrupt criminals into jail, the ICI is inutile. With no powers to compel attendance at its hearings, the commission can be insolently disregarded by key resource persons (notice how the Duterte brother responded when asked to come in and testify).

With hearings that are kept private, instead of being beamed into our homes, there isn’t even easy fodder for instant gossip and nice new memes to generate. How useless.

And of course, as has been brought so vividly home by Singson’s departure, lacking members that are stainless, pure as the driven snow, with no connections to politicians or scandal, why would we even care what it does or what its conclusions are? Surely this is all a waste of time and yes, more of our taxpayers’ money.

This entire zarzuela was just meant to appease a little anger and defuse a little tension. Maybe, it was hoped it would take the seething populace one tiny step backward from the angry, frothing tipping point. Peel away a few critics, and manage the pressure points a tiny bit better.

Then hopefully, in the interval, some other scandal will unfold. That, or life’s daily stressors will occupy our minds again and claim our attention, and there will be noticeably less clamor and outrage to deal with.

It was this clamor and outrage that framed the decision of the Supreme Court to suddenly pull the rug from Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, and declare that his ?60-billion diversion of PhilHealth funds was unlawful. That was a fantastic surprise, given that this administration is wont to pressure the judiciary and pull levers when and where it can (perhaps, not such a surprise when it was revealed that Recto diverted those funds for infrastructure projects).

Did the current vigilant atmosphere force the administration to stay its hand, and avoid lobbying the courts, so the justices could decide freely and without random intervenors petitioning them to consider extraneous matters? With no additional motions and pleadings filed by government counsel that would just waste the justices’ time? Or even a stately matrona descending into their ranks and breathing down their necks?

Without the vigilance of the corruption crusaders, would that switcheroo even have been noticed? Thank you Justice Antonio Carpio, et al. This legal victory allows countless indigent patients some medical attention and some medication. But as always, not enough.

Note that once the Supreme Court ruled that the executive branch must return the ?60 billion, the Palace immediately said it would comply. No defiant tone struck, not even a whimper. The portents are good for good governance.

But that doesn’t help the ICI.

It’s time to let this urchin breathe its last. The Palace and both houses of Congress should just focus on exposing the unvarnished truth. Attempts to massage the facts can be spotted from miles away, so just feed the guilty to the angry.

Unlike you, we don’t want our democracy to be the next patient to be admitted to the ICU.