DECEMBER 28, 2025 — The government’s flagship watchdog against infrastructure corruption is on the brink of collapse, with only one commissioner left standing after a string of resignations that lawmakers say crippled its credibility.

Former Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes Jr. is now the lone official tasked to keep the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) alive, following the departure of Commissioner Rossana Fajardo, who announced she would step down by year’s end. Her exit comes just weeks after former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson resigned, citing stress and security concerns.

Minority lawmakers in the House of Representatives argue that the unraveling of the ICI has left President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with little time to prove his anticorruption drive is more than rhetoric. They point to stalled bills that would have granted the commission subpoena powers, a permanent budget, and a stronger mandate.

Rep. Leila de Lima minced no words. 

“If you have a commission with the formidable task of fighting corruption but with limited powers and resources, and an administration that is reluctant to swiftly provide support through urgent legislation and much-needed budget, then it is doomed to fail.” 

She added, “The ICI might as well close shop. For how can it further function as a one-member commission?”

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice went further, suggesting the collapse “appeared deliberate” after not only Fajardo and Singson left but also special adviser Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong. 

“What happens now to what may be the greatest heist in government infrastructure and the national budget?” Erice asked. “President Marcos owes the Filipino people a clear and honest explanation of what is happening to his presidency.”

Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno questioned what the commission had achieved in its brief three months of work. 

“The problem is clear: the ICI is sorely lacking in power and mandate,” he said.

Kamanggagawa Rep. Elijah San Fernando was blunt in his assessment, calling the Palace-created body “inchoate, comedic and incompetent.” Without funding, staff, or coercive authority, he said, the ICI served only as “a deodorizer for the administration just to say that it is doing something about the flood control scandal.”

The unraveling of the ICI, it is now becoming more and more unclear whether Filipinos will ever see accountability and reform.

The public now waits for clarity from Malacañang, but the silence has already fueled debate online. Social media users are asking whether the commission’s demise signals weakness in governance — or a deliberate attempt to bury uncomfortable truths.

In a nation weary of scandals, one fact remains: when there is no justice, there is no trust.

(Image: YouTube)