SENATE President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III met on Monday with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to explain the government’s budget process and the practice of insertions in public spending.
“I was invited by ICI to shed light on how the usual budget process of the government or the Senate works—how insertions are made possible, whether individual or institutional,” Sotto said in an interview before heading to the meeting.
The ICI, created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was tasked to probe corruption in infrastructure projects, particularly in flood control programs, after last July’s severe flooding exposed alleged irregularities.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson earlier argued that the controversy surrounding anomalous flood control projects could have been avoided if lawmakers had not introduced budget insertions into the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineering offices. “If there were no insertions, there would have been no funds to misuse,” Lacson said.
On the same day, Sotto and Lacson, along with other senators, consulted with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla to discuss witnesses, persons in contempt, and the possible inclusion of individuals in the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
The Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Lacson, is set to resume its hearing on Tuesday, September 23.
The investigation recently took a turn when former DPWH Bulacan Assistant Engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez, currently detained by the Senate, was granted a 12-hour supervised release to gather evidence.
He submitted documents and a computer to support his allegations that Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva were involved in budget insertions and allegedly received a 30 percent kickback from flood control projects.
ICI special adviser and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong confirmed that Hernandez’s testimony and materials had given the commission stronger leads in its ongoing probe.