October 21, 2025
MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to suggestions to further improve the investigation being conducted by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Monday.
During a briefing, Castro was asked to comment on House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice’s call for the President to convene a special session of Congress to pass a bill granting the ICI additional powers.
READ: Marcos confident in ongoing investigation on corruption
“If there is anything that can be improved, the President will not close the door on it, but for now, from what we can see, the ICI investigation is being conducted well,” she said, speaking in Filipino.
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Castro also agreed that the ICI would benefit from having more power, even though Marcos is already satisfied with its work.
“It’s really better for the ICI to have more teeth… fangs, so to speak, but right now we can see that the ICI is doing well,” the Palace official added.
“‘When they summon people—even senators or members of Congress—they respond and give their statements. So for now, the ICI is functioning well and is being respected by the witnesses or those being summoned,” she also said in Filipino.
READ: Malacañang to back bills that will give ICI more teeth
On September 11, Marcos issued Executive Order No. 94, creating the ICI, following reports and investigations into alleged irregularities in the country’s flood-control projects.
Less than two weeks later, tens of thousands of people staged protests in various parts of Metro Manila—coinciding with the anniversary of the declaration of martial law under then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in Sept. 1972.
The demonstrations focused on condemning the irregularities in flood-control projects and called for accountability for the personalities involved in the developing controversies.