Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar during groundbreaking ceremonies in Intramuros, Manila, Tuesday, July 17, 2018. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Article (news)

Johnson Manabat

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175930100808920180717-china-bridges-groundbreaking-jc-13.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar during groundbreaking ceremonies in Intramuros, Manila, Tuesday, July 17, 2018. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Wednesday confirmed that Sen. Mark Villar, a former Public Works Secretary, may be invited in their investigation into the anomalous flood control projects in the country.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/dizon-eyes-sitdown-with-mark-villar-on-flood-control-mess-0741">Dizon eyes sitdown with Mark Villar on flood control mess</a></div><p>ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka in a chance interview was asked if they are &quot;looking into&quot; Villar to be included in their next batch of resource persons for the probe.</p><p>&quot;As a possibility, yes... Well, because he was a former secretary of DPWH,&quot; Hosaka said.</p><p>&quot;I will let you know when we will be inviting Sen. Villar,&quot; he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1356473439234716%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>Reporters have reached out to Villar office&#x27;s Viber group for their comment but they have yet to respond. </div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/10/04/21/mark-villar-resigns-as-dpwh-sec">Mark Villar to step down as DPWH Secretary on Wednesday</a></div><p>Prior to his election as senator in 2022, Villar was the DPWH Secretary from 2016 to 2021 under the Duterte administration.</p><p>DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon earlier said it was only fair that Villar should answer some of the public’s questions regarding possible corruption during his time at the DPWH.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CO, ROMUALDEZ SUMMONS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The ICI also reiterated its summons to former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co at its wraps up its hearings for this week.</p><p>Hosaka said subpoenas were already issued to Romualdez and Co during the first part of its hearings.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/29/-sarswela-ni-martin-escudero-tags-ex-speaker-romualdez-in-flood-control-mess-1604">&#x27;Sarswela ni Martin&#x27;: Escudero tags ex-Speaker Romualdez in flood control mess</a></div><p>“He will be invited, according to our secretariat he was invited already, but I just have to find out if the summons or the subpoenas [were] actually received,” Hosaka told reporters.</p><p>“It was during the first part - when the commission started its hearing,” Hosaka replied when asked when was the summons issued.</p><p>When asked if the ICI and the Anti-Money Laundering Council ( AMLC) are on the process of freezing the assets of Romualdez, Hosaka replied in the negative.</p><p> According to Hosaka, the former Speaker was not yet included in its referral to the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday. </p><p>“What we wrote to AMLC was with regard to the freezing of assets of the persons probably liable, the once we filed in the Ombudsman last Monday,” Hosaka explained.</p><p>Both Romualdez and Co denied the accusations against them.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ODA PROJECTS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>For Wednesday&#x27;s hearing, DPWH Usec. Emil Sadain presented to the Commission how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects are implemented.</p><p>“We were actually called to give some briefing on how the ODA or the infrastructure flagship projects have been credit out in the implementation both physical and financial. This is also one way of ensuring transparency among big ticket projects where the DPWH is a key agency implementing these projects,” Sadain told reporters.</p><p>Former DPWH Usec. Roberto Bernardo was also present during the hearing but refused to face the media.</p><div><a href="http://abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/25/nancy-binay-says-kickback-claims-meant-to-divert-from-real-perpetrators-of-flood-control-mess-1202">Ex-DPWH exec Roberto Bernardo tags Escudero, Co, Revilla, Binay in kickbacks</a></div><p>Bernardo accused Sen. Francis Escudero, former Senators Nancy Binay and Bong Revilla, and former Rep. Zaldy Co of getting kickbacks from the flood control projects of the government.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>FUTURE HEARINGS</strong></div><div> </div><p>Hosaka also announced that starting next week, the ICI will just conduct 2 hearings per week and this would be every Tuesdays and Wednesdays.</p><p>According to Hosaka, the members of the commission will have to sit down and take a closer look at all available evidence and information it has. </p><p>“Of course we have a timeline, we would want to file as much recommendations that we can with the Office of the Ombudsman. The Commission feels that need that it is now important the we all sit down and look at the evidence and informations that we have,” said Hosaka.</p><p>There was also no information yet when will former DPWH-Bulacan 1st District Assistant Engineer Brice Hernandez surrender another luxury vehicle to the commission. </p><p>Meantime, Hosaka said former PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr., is expected to join hearings of the commission anytime soon.</p><p>The ICI was created last month after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. bared the full list of anti-flood infrastructure in the country in the last three years and noted several substandard or missing projects worth billions of pesos.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sl1daHU6e7M?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CTz8aDj5HNQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Independent Commission for Infrastructure confirmed that Sen. Mark Villar, a former DPWH Secretary, may be invited in their investigation into the anomalous flood control projects in the country.</p>

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure confirmed that Sen. Mark Villar, a former DPWH Secretary, may be invited in their investigation into the anomalous flood control projects in the country.

ICI eyes Sen. Mark Villar as resource person in flood control probe

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ICI eyes Sen. Mark Villar as resource person in flood control probe

Johnson Manabat,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 01, 2025 03:42 PM PHT

Read More:

Mark Villar

ICI

food control

DPWH

politics

Romualdez

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corruption

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