House Infrastructure Committee Suspends Inquiry on Flood Control Project Scandal Pending ICI Investigation

Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon announced on Wednesday, September 24, that the House Infrastructure Committee has suspended its investigation into the flood control project controversy. He emphasized that this suspension is temporary and does not signal the end of the inquiry.

"Today, we are announcing the suspension of proceedings of the House Infrastructure Committee to give way to the full and impartial proceedings of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI)," Ridon stated during a press conference. As chairman of the committee, Ridon reaffirmed his willingness to cooperate fully with the commission established by the Palace to investigate the corruption allegations.

"Within the next few days, the Infrastructure Committee will turn over all transcripts, documents, and other relevant evidence to the ICI," he said. "We are committed to supporting the ICI in every aspect of their investigation based on the materials from our previous hearings."

When asked if the committee’s proceedings might resume in the future, Ridon responded cautiously: "As long as the ICI is actively conducting its work focused on transparency, accountability, and justice, the House Infrastructure Committee's proceedings will remain suspended."

The ICI, chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes Jr., has been holding nearly daily hearings, site inspections, and other investigative activities since the beginning of the week. Meanwhile, Ridon’s committee had conducted two hearings prior to the suspension, including a notable session on September 9 where a former DPWH assistant district engineer implicated senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva in irregularities linked to flood mitigation projects.

Additionally, Ridon revealed that House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III plans to personally submit the committee’s documents to the ICI on the same day. "Speaker Bojie Dy will go to the ICI today to turn over the transcripts and all documents from the previous proceedings," Ridon said. He added that this gesture demonstrates the Speaker’s strong institutional commitment to cooperating with the commission.

At the time of this report, media representatives were awaiting Speaker Dy’s arrival at the ICI headquarters in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.