INDEPENDENT Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) chairman, retired justice Andres Reyes Jr., said on Thursday, October 16, 2025, that justice is not enough amid the investigation on anomalous flood control projects.
During a meeting with concerned government agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the Securities and Assets Commission, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), among others, Reyes noted the importance of restitution, or the return of the illegally-acquired wealth of the “criminals” involved in the illegal scheme.
“All those persons responsible for this may be prosecuted and jailed, but to completely heal our nation, justice is not enough. We need restitution,” he said.
“We, the different agencies of the government, are all here today to band together and pool our resources to go after and recover the assets of these criminals. That is our goal,” he added.
Reyes said the public funds pocketed and burned wantonly on useless luxuries and vices by individuals involved in the irregularities in the implementation of flood control projects could have been spent on building schools, hospitals, and road projects.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) earlier seized millions-worth of luxury vehicles of contractor couple Sara and Pacifico Discaya, who cornered around P31 billion worth of government infrastructure contracts, including flood control projects from 2022 to 2025.
The couple earlier tagged several lawmakers from the lower chamber who are receiving kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.
They also admitted involvement in bid-rigging in flood control contracts of the DPWH.
The Discayas were also earlier slapped with a P7.1 billion tax evasion case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Senate Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson earlier revealed that several DPWH officials and personnel from Bulacan first district lost millions in casino gambling.
These dismissed DPWH officials and personnel earlier admitted involvement in irregularities in flood control projects and ghost projects. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)