Goodbye, ICI

And soon it ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.

 That’s the Independent Commission for Infrastructure. Shelf life six months, three of them operational, and the last three in limbo.

The ICI has become the symbol of the level of commitment of President Marcos to the anti-corruption crackdown that he launched with impressive flair in his State of the Nation Address last year.

 That SONA announcement – memorably greeted with lusty applause and a standing ovation by the looters themselves – was a follow-through on BBM’s boast in his previous SONA that over 5,000 flood control projects had been completed nationwide. (OK, he can be forgiven for this; the info must have come from his public works chief at the time, Manuel Bonoan.) 

The next SONA is coming up. What can BBM announce that might warrant another standing ovation from the thieves? Perhaps that their happy days are guaranteed for the long term, with the law institutionalizing dynasties, shepherded by his son and the Speaker at the House of Representatives. 

That will be their reward for the removal by impeachment of the Marcos-Romualdez clan’s nightmare from hell, declared 2028 presidential contender Sara Duterte.

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This is among the most persistent speculative scenarios swirling around the palpable weakening of the zeal to go after those who looted the national budget and funds meant for public works projects.

The accompanying speculation is that BBM lost his resolve the moment the probe “struck a nerve” and “hit too close to home,” as Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong bemoaned when he quit the ICC.

 Such speculations are tainting even the supposedly fearless and accomplished investigator, Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

 Because of the personalities involved, all the holes that Lacson has validly pointed out in the accusations hurled by several former Marines, starting with MIA Orly Guteza, are being seen as mere nitpicking to protect those within BBM’s inner circle. 

The perception is that the anti-corruption crackdown skidded to a halt after people close to BBM were implicated – from his favorite cousin to his former little president and the latter’s grandson.

These are sentiments not just of the DDS.

Even the hunt for Zaldy Co, who seems to know where all the skeletons are buried, has stalled. How hard is it to coordinate with Portugal and the European Union to bring him back to the Philippines?

BBM said a red notice had been issued for Co by the International Criminal Police Organization. But National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag told “Storycon” on One News late last week that the NBI had just completed submitting all the documents supposedly demanded by the Interpol for the red notice. 

The International Criminal Police Organization has an office in Metro Manila. How hard is it to coordinate and speed up requests for a red notice?

 Even relatives seen to have benefited from crookedness have happily moved on, shopping till they’re dropping in Europe, “influencing” and preening once again at the Paris fashion show. And there are Filipinos who still admire the ostentation.

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Perhaps we might be distracted from the stalled anti-corruption crackdown once the House of Representatives begins this week the impeachment probe of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House probers have said they intend to open the bank accounts of the VP. Even if the accounts have been moved, emptied or closed, lawmakers expect to see a money trail. Congressmen say impeachment proceedings are among the exemptions from bank secrecy laws, although we’re expecting this point to be challenged by the VP’s camp. 

We don’t know if the ICI report touches on “ghost” flood control projects in Davao linked to the Dutertes. In fact, we don’t know what the ICI report touches on, especially after the commissioners questioned officials who did not face congressional probes, such as former speaker Martin Romualdez and public works chief-turned-senator Mark Villar. Till the end, ICI chairman Andres Reyes kept the findings and recommendations under wraps.

While Reyes’ concern for the privacy of people and the presumption of innocence is laudable, secrecy was the last thing people wanted from the fact-finding body. We’ve had several such bodies in the past – for the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, for example, and the Rizal Park hostage crisis – and they didn’t suffer from opening the probes to the public. 

We’re also used to congressional investigations that aren’t held behind closed doors.

If people aren’t missing the ICI or lamenting its impending shutdown, it’s because it didn’t give us a lot to miss. Some folks are even saying that it’s been a waste of its modest budget of P40 million, which the ICI received only late last year.

Last December, there was a half-hearted nod to transparency, with the announcement that ICI proceedings would be livestreamed. The ICI officials, however, were clearly uncomfortable with livestreaming, and we all know what happened to that forced effort.

BBM still seems unsure of what to do with his fact-finding campaign. After what happened to the ICI, creating a permanent independent fact-finding body may no longer gain traction.  

The ICI was supposed to be a de-politicized replacement for the congressional probes on the public works mess. Now it suffers from perceptions that its probe has been highly politicized.

Even BBM’s much applauded SONA call to his congressional allies has been a dud. Mahiya naman kayo? Eh hindi nahiya. The shameless refuse to be shamed.

Over the weekend, Malacañang said the pursuit of accountability would continue. But so far, in this anti-corruption campaign, BBM has overpromised and underdelivered.