Metro Manila, Philippines – Malacañang said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not ordered the full public release of the final report of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), and that the matter is up to the investigating bodies.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said the report has already been submitted to the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman, which are tasked to determine what information may be disclosed to the public.
“Nasa DOJ na po iyan, nasa discretion po nila iyan,” Castro told reporters on Monday, April 6, when asked if the president would support full transparency of the report.
[Translation: It is already with the DOJ, and it is under their discretion.]
Castro said the Office of the Ombudsman, an independent constitutional body, has primary authority on the matter, and that Malacañang would defer to its processes.
Lawmakers including presidential sister and Senator Imee Marcos called for the full disclosure of the ICI findings to address alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
Castro said the administration had taken steps to investigate the issue and pursue accountability.
“Hindi ba ang Pangulong Marcos lamang, 2025, ang siyang nag-utos na imbestigahan ang kalat na ito na mukhang namana pa noong nakaraang administrasyon,” she said.
[Translation: Was it not President Marcos in 2025 who ordered the investigation into this mess that appears to have been inherited from the previous administration?]
She said the ICI complied with requirements of Executive Order 94 by submitting an accomplishment report, but added that the detailed findings are with the appropriate authorities handling the investigation.
