Iglesia ni Cristo tells ICI: Public must witness flood control hearings

The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) has called on the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to allow the Filipino public to watch hearings of its investigation into the flood control corruption scandal.

The INC likewise urged the Marcos-created commission to conduct a continuous, transparent, and impartial probe as this is instrumental to attaining peace in the country.

According to an Unang Balita report on Wednesday, the INC said the results of the investigation may not be accepted by the public if it would be conducted in secrecy.

"Hindi rin makatutulong ang imbestigasyon ng ICI sa palihim nitong pag-iimbestiga. Ano pa't anuman ang magiging resulta nito ay posibleng hindi maging katanggap-tanggap sa mga mamamayan at makadagdag lamang sa nagaganap na kaguluhan at kawalang-katiyakan," the statement read.

(The investigation of the ICI will not help if this is done in private. Whatever the results may be, it's possible that these will not be acceptable to the public and will only add to the ongoing conflict and uncertainty.)

The INC's statement came two days after the ICI announced that its hearings would remain private to avoid "trial by publicity" and political interference.

GMA News Online has requested comment from ICI regarding the Iglesia Ni Cristo's call, but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

Senate's work

Meanwhile, the INC also said the Senate should not stop its investigation, and that all responsible individuals must be held accountable.

"Gaya ng nararapat, kailangan mapanagot ang pinakaugat ng mga pagnanakaw ng daan-daang bilyong piso sa kaban ng bayan… Subalit, hindi ito magagawa kung ititigil na ang imbestigasyon ng Senado, gaya ng napapabalitang gagawin ng liderato nito dahil sa hindi malinaw na dahilan," the statement said.

(As it should be, the culprit behind the theft of billions of pesos from the nation's coffers must be held accountable… However, this cannot be done if the Senate will stop their investigations, just like what is reportedly being planned by its leaders due to unclear reasons.)

"Naniniwala kami na para magkaroon ng kapayapaan, kailangang patuloy na imbestigahan ang malawakang katiwaliang iyon at isagawa nang may transparency at walang kinikilingan o pinagtatakpan. Isa itong kahayagan ng sinseridad ng mga kinauukulan," it added.

(We believe that to have peace, we must continue to investigate this widespread corruption and conduct it with transparency and without biases. This is an expression of sincerity from the authorities.)

Over the weekend, Senator Panfilo Lacson announced that the Senate blue ribbon committee would suspend plans to resume hearings on the flood control controversy. 

Lacson, who until recently chaired the blue ribbon panel, had said some documents for the next hearing may not be ready in time and may conflict with other hearings.

Senate President Tito Sotto has since clarified that the Upper Chamber would only suspend the probes to make way for hearings on the National Budget.

The leadership of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is still up for discussion following the Lacson's resignation as the committee chair. — VDV, GMA Integrated News