Tinio calls out Pulong Duterte for backing out of ICI probe, Pulong calls it ‘scripted circus’

Stressing that denials are not enough, House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio on Thursday called out Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte over the latter’s refusal to face the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) probe on flood control projects in his district.

“Hindi sasapat ang mga general denial. Humarap siya at sumagot sa mga tanong hinggil sa naging paggastos ng pondo ng bayan sa kanyang distrito,” Tinio said in a statement.

(General denials are not enough. He should face and answer questions about the public funds spent on his district.)

“Bakit biglang dinaga si Polong? Anyare sa ‘I welcome the investigation’ at “wala tayong tinatago, wala tayong kinakatakutan’? Wala ka lang palang sisiputan,” he added.

(Why the sudden about face? Whatever happened to his ‘I welcome the investigation’ and ‘I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to fear’? He ended up being a no show.)

Duterte responded to Tinio’s remarks on his Facebook page, stressing that his refusal was a refusal to be a part of a “show.”

“Hindi ako umatras. Umayaw ako sa palabas. Magkaiba ‘yun,” he said.

(I did not back out. I walked out of a show. Those are two different things.)

“I don’t run from real investigations. I only refuse to be part of a scripted circus pretending to be one,” Duterte added.

In declining the ICI invitation, Duterte said that ICI has no jurisdiction on him and questioned the ICI’s fairness and independence, given that it was established by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

“Kung naniniwala kang ‘independent’ ang ICI, kayo na lang ang hindi nakakakita na propaganda factory ito ng Palasyo – ginawa para pagtakpan ang kapalpakan nila at gawing punching bag ang mga hindi nila kaalyado,” Duterte said.

(If you still believe the ICI is independent, then you are the only ones who are not seeing that ICI is a propaganda factory of the Palace to conceal its failures and a tool to throw punches at their political opponents.)

“My conscience is clean. The ICI can simply obtain such records and examine them and compare them to the projects implemented. I was never part of the appropriations committee nor was I involved in the disbursement of funds as well as the implementation of the project. I therefore see no reason for me to appear before the ICI,” he added.

Sought for comment, ICI spokesperson Brian Hosaka said they will respect Duterte’s position on the ICI’s probe of flood control projects.

Hosaka stressed that the ICI’s mandate is “very clear” under Marcos’ Executive Order 94 that created the fact-finding body.

He said this mandate is to “investigate anomalous government infrastructure projects and all individuals who may be responsible.”

“And until its creation is declared by a competent court or authority to be legally infirm, the ICI which includes all staff and volunteers will continue to perform their duties and deliver the mandate given to them,” Hosaka added.

On Thursday, Duterte said he declined the ICI’s invitation to appear in its hearings as a resource person – just a day after he said he was open to the ICI’s investigation.

He also posted parts of his letter to the ICI on his Facebook page, where he said the ICI “appears without power nor jurisdiction over me.” He added that the invite was “vague and ambiguous” and “absent any particulars or details of matters in the possession of ICI.”

However on Wednesday, Duterte said he welcomed the ICI investigation and that he has nothing to fear or hide. He added that a probe would end the narrative that his family are to blame for anomalies.

Earlier, Tinio called on the ICI to probe at least 80 flood control contracts worth P4.4 billion in Davao City from 2019 to 2022. 

Citing records from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Tinio alleged that issues like double funding, projects at different locations, flood control project durations that are shorter than what was approved, and possible overpricing marred these contracts. — JMA, GMA Integrated News