Marcos Jr. Issues Executive Order for Creation of Independent Body for Infrastructure Probe
The independent body that President Bongbong Marcos ordered to be created for the infrastructure probe has broad powers.
Pres. Bongbong Marcos was greatly disappointed by the flood control mess in the Philippines. Despite the government having spent billions of money for the flood control projects, several areas across the nation still fall to flooding when heavy rains hit the country.
According to Marcos Jr., the Philippines ‘ expenses on flood control projects have already reached over P500 billion since July 2022 until May 2025. He stressed that it is an enormous amount. The President also flagged the following contractors who got around P100 billion of the total expenses of the government on flood control deals:
- Legacy Construction Corporation
- Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp.
- St. Timothy Construction Corporation
- QM Builders
- EGB Construction Corporation
- Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc.
- Centerways Construction and Development Inc.
- Sunwest, Inc.
- Hi-Tone Construction & Development Corp.
- Triple 8 Construction & Supply, Inc.
- Royal Crown Monarch Construction & Supplies Corp.
- Wawao Builders
- MG Samidan Construction
- L.R. Tiqui Builders, Inc.
- Road Edge Trading & Development Services
Amid the issue, the President wanted the creation of an independent body that will investigate the infrastructure projects funded by the people’s money. Malacañang previously announced that Pres. Bongbong Marcos wants the independent committee to have a subpoena power or the power to compel someone to attend the probe.
Recently, the Executive Order that mandates the creation of the independent body for the infrastructure probe as ordered by Pres. Bongbong Marcos was released. The committee is armed with broad powers based on a report on PhilStar.
Through the Executive Order No. 94, the independent body for infrastructure probe will be consists of a chairperson and two (2) members with “proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence”. The committee will also have the power to move for the freezing or seizure of assets linked to anomalies.
Furthermore, the committee’s powers and functions include the conduct of hearings, the taking of testimonies, as well as the receiving, gathering, reviewing and evaluating evidence, reports and information on matters within its power to probe. The independent body also has the power to issue subpoenas for the attendance of the people or the production of the documents needed for the probe.
Based on the report, the independent committee also has the power to recommend to the Department of Justice (DOJ) the admission of a person as a state witness. The names of the people who will compose the three-body committee were yet to be revealed.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are conducting investigations on the flood control mess in the Philippines. In the upper chamber, the investigation is led by the Blue Ribbon Committee. Recently, Senate Blue Ribbon chairman Ping Lacson claimed that he found a P355-million budget insertion that matched the claims of a DPWH engineer during a House of Representatives hearing.