Marilyn Cahatol

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his statement on his State Visit to India and answers questions on pressing issues during the Kapihan with the Media at the Taj West End in Bengaluru, India, on August 8, 2025, before returning to the Philippines.  Noel Pabalate, PPA pool

Article (news)

MARCOS

Job Manahan

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/176093589890820250808-marcos-india-kapihan-NP14 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his statement on his State Visit to India and answers questions on pressing issues during the Kapihan with the Media at the Taj West End in Bengaluru, India, on August 8, 2025, before returning to the Philippines.<em>  Noel Pabalate, PPA pool </em></span></span></span>MANILA – Malacañang on Monday said President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is satisfied with how the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is conducting its probe on anomalous flood-control projects, even as business groups urged more legal authority for the commission to do its job.</div><p>Around 30 business groups over the weekend urged the President to give more legal authority to the ICI — which was tasked to probe irregularities in the government’s infrastructure projects in the past 10 years.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/10/19/business-groups-call-on-marcos-to-take-swift-decisive-action-vs-unprecedented-corruption-2318">Business groups call on Marcos to take &#x27;swift, decisive action&#x27; vs &#x27;unprecedented corruption&#x27;</a></div><p>It also wanted the administration “to address, without delay, the historic, massive and unprecedented corruption scandal crippling our flood control and infrastructure projects.”</p><p>Aside from this, the group described government corruption as something that already “eroded public trust and now threatens our national security.”</p><p>But Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the administration had swiftly acted on issues on corruption, starting from the “<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/9/-sumbong-sa-pangulo-website-gets-nearly-20-000-complaints-palace-1533">Sumbong sa Pangulo</a>” website and the creation of the ICI through Executive Order 94.</p><p>Government, Castro noted, has also frozen the assets and issued Immigration Lookout Bulletin Orders (ILBOs) against those tagged in the anomalies.</p><p>“Marami nang nagawa at marami nang iniimbestigahan. Nararamdaman ng Pangulo ang mga nararamdaman ng mga businessmen kaya patuloy ang ginagawang pag-iimbestiga at patuloy ang pagpapabilis ng aksyon para mapanagot ang mga dapat mapanagot,” Castro told Palace reporters.</p><p>“Ang hiling na lang natin sa mga obstructionists na gumagawa na lang ng iba’t ibang kuwento para sirain ang integridad ng ICI, bawasan nila ito o hintuan na nila dahil hindi ito nakakatulong sa ekonomiya,” she added.</p><p>Asked if the President would heed calls for a special session in Congress to pass the bill giving more powers to the ICI, Castro only said it was better if the commission had “more teeth.”</p><p>“Sa ngayon nakikita naman natin na maganda ang tinatakbo ng ICI pag nagpatawag sila ng mga senador, miyembro ng Kongreso, sila ay tumutugon at nagbibigay ng pahayag,” she said.</p><p>“Sa nakikita natin, maganda ang itinatakbo ng pag-iimbestiga ng ICI,” she added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/17/ici-admits-long-way-to-go-before-culprits-in-flood-control-scam-are-jailed-1601">ICI admits long way to go before culprits in flood control scam are jailed</a></div><p>The Palace official, however, promised that the ICI would submit recommendations on the filing of cases immediately or once they gather enough evidence against an official or an individual tagged in the anomaly.</p><p>“Nagkakaroon lang talaga ng pag-iipon ng ebidensya para hindi naman malabnaw ang mga kasong isu-submit nila at baka ma-dismiss lang. Sayang ang effort sa kanilang ginagawa kung madi-dismiss lang,” she said.</p><p>Pressure is mounting for the government to act fast and recover stolen money, potentially in billions of pesos, meant to build anti-flood infrastructure projects — and put offenders behind bars.</p><p>While there have been a few successes since Marcos Jr. ordered an investigation into the irregularities in the flood relief projects a couple of months ago, the public has yet to see an individual being arrested or jailed in connection with the corruption scandal.</p><p>Several groups have since mounted <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/12/protests-to-go-on-until-people-see-progress-in-flood-control-probe-tindig-pilipinas-1335">weekly protests </a>to call for accountability, vowing they would not stop until someone gets jailed over government corruption.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CTz8aDj5HNQ?si=roHL4dMTsfOer82k" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>Malacañang on Monday said President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is satisfied with how the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is conducting its probe on anomalous flood-control projects, even as business groups urged more legal authority for the commission to do its job.</p>

Malacañang on Monday said President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is satisfied with how the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is conducting its probe on anomalous flood-control projects, even as business groups urged more legal authority for the commission to do its job.

Palace: Marcos Jr. satisfied with gov’t probe on flood control mess as biz groups seek stronger ICI

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Palace: Marcos Jr. satisfied with gov’t probe on flood control mess as biz groups seek stronger ICI

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 20, 2025 12:56 PM PHT

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Independent Commission for Infrastructure

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