MANILA — Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has filed a bill seeking the creation of an Independent People’s Commission (IPC) that would investigate corruption in government infrastructure projects, particularly flood-control initiatives.

Senate Bill No. 1215, titled “An Act Creating an Independent People’s Commission to Investigate Anomalies in All Government Infrastructure Projects, Defining Its Powers and Functions, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes”, proposes the establishment of an independent body tasked to conduct comprehensive investigations into reported irregularities, including ghost projects, overpricing, and the use of substandard materials.

Sotto said “corruption is now seen, heard, and felt by Filipinos more than ever.”

“The failed flood-control projects that are supposed to protect lives, livelihoods, and properties of our countrymen, the dilapidated classrooms for our students, and the lack of quality farm-to-market roads to aid our farmers, all are engulfed in corruption, hindering the progress of the nation as a whole,” he added.

The proposed commission will have jurisdiction over infrastructure projects of the national government, local government units, and government-owned and -controlled corporations. It will also have the authority to identify individuals and entities involved, whether public or private, and recommend the filing of criminal, civil, or administrative charges.

“While there are agencies of government which investigate corruption, they are not specializing nor focusing on anomalies of government infrastructures,” Sotto said.

Under the measure, the IPC will be composed of a retired Supreme Court or Court of Appeals justice as chairperson, a certified public accountant with expertise in forensic accounting, a licensed civil engineer or architect, a representative from a reputable non-governmental organization, and an academician specializing in public administration or economics.

The commission members will serve a three-year term and may be reappointed by the President.

“We owe it to the Filipino people to ensure that public funds are utilized efficiently, honestly and transparently in the construction of all government infrastructure projects,” Sotto said.