Ex-SC Justice Carpio calls on ICI to make hearings public

Retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Wednesday joined increasing calls to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to make its hearings on anomalous flood control projects public.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Carpio said this is “very suspicious,” adding that even criminal trials are open to the public.

“So bakit hindi ito open to the public? At least to the media, kahit walang live streaming, it should be open to the public. There should be transparency in other words,” Carpio said.

(So why is this not open to the public? At least to the media, even without live streaming, it should be open to the public. There should be transparency, in other words.)

“Because of these closed door hearings, people will lose faith in that ICI. That’s the number one thing that they have to correct,” he added.

Carpio, also the lead convenor for political coalition 1Sambayan, said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has to order this as the ICI was established through an executive order.

“He has to order that. Because this ICI is losing its credibility very fast,” he said.

GMA News Online has reached out to the ICI for comment.

ICI executive director Brian Hosaka recently said that the fact-finding body’s hearings will remain private amid the calls.

Hosaka previously said that the hearings will not be livestreamed to avoid “trial by publicity” and any political influence.

‘Public interest’

Asked about this concern, Carpio stressed that the investigation is a matter of public interest.

“Even in the Senate, the House, open to the public naman ‘yan. Livestreamed pa. In the court, that’s open to the public, the media can be present there. Wala lang livestreaming,” he said.

Meanwhile, Carpio said that there is no need to institutionalize the ICI as there is already the Office of the Ombudsman, adding that he calls this the “second most powerful office” in the government.

Carpio said that if incoming Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla acts on the flood control complaints with haste and impartiality, the ICI should be closed down.

“That is now my position. Because before when the Ombudsman was Ombudsman (Samuel) Martires, he did not conduct any investigation. So I think because we have a new Ombudsman, let’s wait. What he will do with the complaints against those involved,”

“If he does it fast, he’s impartial, then we should close down the ICI. Because anyway it's a secret. We don’t know what’s happening there,” he added.

The ICI has recommended the possible filing of graft, malversation, and falsification charges with the Ombudsman against former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and other Department of Public Works and Highways officials over their alleged links to the P289.5 million road dike project along the Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

Co previously denied allegations against him in connection with the flood control mess. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News