Infra probe body buckles down to work

The newly formed Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) tasked to investigate anomalous flood control projects hit the ground running on its first day on the job yesterday, meeting with several representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

- RAINIER ALLAN RONDA and HELEN FLORES

According to Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, the ICI will receive an initial funding of P21 million for personnel services (PS), which will be charged to this year’s budget of the Office of the President (OP) under its Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund.

“We discussed with Executive Secretary (Lucas) Bersamin that if they can afford it in their budget, they will provide this. But if they can’t, they will request from us,” Pangandaman said in a chance interview at Malacañang.

The funding for the commission's Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays, meanwhile, will come from the OP's contingent fund, she said.