Romualdez to face ICI anew on Oct. 22 —Hosaka

Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez will again face the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) hearings on the alleged anomalous flood control projects next week, executive director Brian Keith Hosaka said Friday.

Hosaka said the ICI has scheduled another hearing with Romualdez for Wednesday, October 22. It will be the second time the legislator will appear before the commission.

"It's on October 22," Hosaka said.

Romualdez visited the ICI office in Taguig last week to attend the closed-door hearings of the commission.

According to Hosaka, the former House leader did not tag any personalities in the alleged corruption scheme in his affidavit but had named some lawmakers who were supposedly involved in the crafting of the national budget. Romualdez also denied receiving kickbacks from the flood control projects.

The ICI said it will summon the named individuals, but Hosaka said it may still be up for discussion by the commission.

"The commission wanted to go through the affidavit carefully and to read it to be able to prepare and ask questions," said Hosaka.

"It's ongoing. They are reviewing it right now," he added.

In facing the commission, Romualdez, one of the lawmakers the ICI issued a subpoena to attend the hearings, maintained that he 'has nothing to hide.' 

He also expressed willingness to release his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and said he is ready to attend the ICI hearings if he is invited again.

Inter-agency meeting

Meanwhile, representatives from the Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Education met for an inter-agency coordination meeting with the independent commission on Friday.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa arrived at the ICI to submit reports on irregularities on Super Health Centers, according to a tweet of GMA Integrated News' Joseph Morong.

"Naimbitahan tayo ng ICI. Siguro tatanungin tayo ng mga proyekto natin na iniispect sa DOH, mga infrastructure projects," said Herbosa.

Protest

Ahead of the meeting, a group of women leaders called for transparency on the ICI hearings.

Members of the World March of Women (WMW) - Pilipinas staged a protest outside the ICI office in Taguig to rally for the full transparency of the commission's hearings and processes.

"Systemic corruption, propped up by political dynasties and padrino politics, aggravate the impoverishment of people, especially women who carry the greater burden of grubby labor, often underpaid if not unpaid, while doing care work," said Amparo Miciano, WMW member and national coordinator of Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan executive director.

"Historically disadvantaged in political and socio-economic life, rural women suffer the impact of corruption more acutely, through the removal of their access to good and services which are already inadequate in the first place," he said.

The rally was cut short as the protesters were immediately dispersed.

Several groups and legislators, including ML Partylist Representative Leila de Lima have called on the independent commission to livestream its inquiry for transparency. 

The ICI, however, maintained its closed-door hearings to avoid "trial by publicity" and any political influence.—LDF, GMA Integrated News