MANILA — Malacañang said it will leave it to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to decide whether to make public the final report of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

”Opo, depende na po sa kanila iyan. So, respeto po sa kanila dahil nasa kanila po iyon,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing when asked if the two agencies would disclose their findings.

(Yes, we leave it up to them.)

Castro said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will not direct the Ombudsman or the DOJ to release the report, stressing the independence and discretion of both bodies.

”Hindi po. Unang-una po, ang Ombudsman po ay independent body. Ang DOJ, ibibigay po natin sa authority ‘no. I’m not saying na bibigyan ng authority pero nasa pag—sa discretion na po iyan ng DOJ kung ano ang kanilang ibibigay na report na ibinigay sa kanila ng ICI,” she said.

(No. First of all, the Ombudsman is an independent body. With regards to the DOJ, it’s within their authority. It’s within their discretion.)

The ICI concluded its operations last week after six months of investigating alleged irregularities in flood control and other infrastructure projects over the past decade. Its chairperson, retired Justice Andres Reyes Jr., said the commission is satisfied with the outcome of its work.

Documents related to the investigation, including several boxes of records, have been turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman.

The commission was formed through Executive Order No. 94 issued in September last year, creating a non-partisan body tasked to look into alleged anomalies in infrastructure projects.

Meanwhile, Castro said concerns over unpaid salaries of some ICI personnel should be raised with the commission’s leadership, noting that the budget for the body had already been released.