Former SC justice Andres Reyes to head Independent Commission for Infrastructure
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has appointed former Supreme Court Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. as the chairperson of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure that will look into the anomalies in flood control projects.
Marcos announced Reyes' appointment in a press briefing on Monday, Sept. 15.
Reyes served as a trial judge in 1987 before working as a justice at the Court of Appeals in 1999. He then became the presiding justice of the appellate court in 2010.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte appointed him to the high court in 2017.
Reyes retired in May 2020.
With his appointment as ICI chairperson, Reyes will join former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson and SGV Country Managing Partner Rossana Fajardo in the commission as well as Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong, who will "act as investigator for the ICI" as special adviser.
The ICI is tasked to recommend the filing of appropriate charges and recommend to the appropriate government bodies the enforcement of remedies, corrective actions, or legislative measures.
The fact-finding body will get assistance from the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, the National Prosecution Service, the DPWH, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police, and offices in the national government's executive branch "to accomplish its mandates."
It also has the power to conduct hearings, take testimony, and receive, gather, review, and evaluate evidence, issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents, recommend to the DOJ the admission of a person as a state witness, and obtain information and documents from the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Marcos announced the creation of the organization on Sept. 11.
During the first part of his "BBM Podcast" uploaded on YouTube on Sunday, Sept. 7, Marcos said he will give the commission "all the powers that are necessary" for it to come to a conclusion or findings about the issue.
"Para alam naman natin kung ano 'yung nangyari," he added.
Marcos noted that the group can investigate anything or anyone.
"Otherwise... sasabihin may sacred cow na naman o may pinoproteksiyonan," he said.
Get to know the members of the ICI here.
Flood control mess
The issue in the government's flood control projects began in July as the rains triggered massive flooding in the metro. At the time, Sen. Ping Lacson told dzBB that since 2011, about P1 trillion allocated for flood control projects may have been lost to corruption.
Marcos, in his fourth State of the Nation Address, called out government officials involved in the would-be corruption in flood control projects.
Marcos ordered the DPWH to "immediately submit" to him the list of flood control projects from every region that were started and completed in the last three years. He said a project monitoring committee will evaluate this list to determine the failures, as well as the unfinished and ghost projects.
Marcos launched the Sumbong sa Pangulo website, where the public can track and report anomalous flood control projects and other possible corrupt practices.
According to the website, there are 9,855 flood control projects totalling P545.64 billion since July 2022. Of that number, 6,021 projects worth over P350 billion don't specify the exact type of flood control being built, while several others in different locations also have the same contract cost.
Marcos also said there are 15 contractors that exclusively bagged 20% of all flood control projects worth P100 billion in the last three years.
Among them was the couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, who were thrown into the spotlight when Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, whom Sarah unsuccessfully ran against in the midterm elections, posted about their controversial interviews with Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao.
In the interviews, the Discayas talked about their "inspiring" rags-to-riches life story, showcasing their dozens of luxury cars and other assets. Babao asked them what served as their "gateway" to have a better life, and Sarah answered, "Noong nag-DPWH kami."
After Sotto's posting, the couple's story unraveled and opened a can of worms. It led to flood control projects being the talk of the town, a Bureau of Customs chase, revocation of the Discaya companies' licenses, and congressional hearings.
The Discayas have since maintained their innocence, claiming that they're just victims of a broken system. In the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Hearing on Monday, Sept. 8, they accused DPWH officials and congressmen of making them participate in anomalous biddings with kickbacks ranging from 10% to 25%. Otherwise, they'd supposedly face termination of contracts, right-of-way problems, and removal from the government's contractors list.
Curlee name-dropped the officials, who promptly denied his claims. There were even some who said they'd file libel and perjury cases against the couple.
In a House committee hearing on Sept. 9, former DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez, who was detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center after the Senate cited him in contempt, shifted the blame to senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, former DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara, and DPWH Visayas Usec. Robert Bernardo.
Hernandez claimed that the officials were involved in kickback schemes for projects worth millions of pesos, with Alcantara as the "chief implementor." Estrada, Villanueva, and Alcantara denied the accusations.
DPWH Sec. Vince Dizon has filed a case against 20 public work officials, including Alcantara and Hernandez, as well as four contractors.
The national attention and outrage toward the Discayas since the metro's flooding also rubbed off on other contractors. Adding insult to the injury was how internet users noticed several children of politicians and contractors, branding them as "nepo babies," who flex their designer clothing and fly to different countries in seemingly unapologetic fashion—even vlogging about their comforts.
The matter has become so alarming that many celebrities and personalities have decided to speak up.