Independent commission, hindi makikialam sa nagpapatuloy na Congress inquiries- Bersamin

SINABI ni Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin na hindi makikialam ang itatayong independent commission ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa nagpapatuloy na House at Senate inquiries sa kontrobersiyal na flood control projects.

Ang lilikhaing independent commission ay nakatutok lamang na imbestigahan ang maanomalyang proyekto.

Tinukoy ni Bersamin ang nakatakdang pagpapalabas ng Executive Order (EO) na magtatatag ng independent commission para imbestigahan ang nagpapatuloy na substantard, kung hindi man ghost flood control projects.

“Thank you for this opportunity to say something about this statement of the President. We do confirm that we are working on an Executive Order that will deliver on what the President has started in the SONA (State of the Nation Address),” ayon kay Bersamin sa isinagawang presentasyon ng Office of the President (OP) sa panukala nitong P27 billion budget para sa 2026 sa House appropriations panel.

Matatandaang noong pang-apat na SONA ng Pangulo, nangako ang Chief Executive hahagupitin niya ang mga public officials na nakinabang mula sa infrastructure projects ng gobyerno kabilang na ang flood control projects.

“We are not yet sure when we will come out with an independent commission or body that would continue the query or inquiry into the issues that were raised in his SONA, as well as in later statements that the President made. We do not want to preempt the Congress, especially this House, from doing its own….taking the initiative…also in this respect. We will not be a hindrance there,” ayon kay Bersamin.

“The initial discussions in the Executive is that whatever commission is created by the presidential fiat would have a timeline, a sunset [provision]. And it becomes your privilege to look at it in the same way and maybe pass a law or laws regarding the investigation of these anomalies,” aniya pa rin.

Winika pa ni Bersamin, dating Chief Justice, na ang isinasagawang imbestigasyon ng Kongreso ay bahagi ng oversight function nito.

“This EO [on flood control probe] will not be barring you from doing that because that is your institutional responsibility also. So that is the light in which we would like you to see this proposed EO that the Executive may come out with,” ang dagdag na pahayag ni Bersamin.

(Daris Jose)