Singson, SGV exec picked for infra probe commission

Chair to be named in the coming days; Magalong to serve as adviser

- By Alexis Romero

A former public works chief and a top executive of a leading professional services firm have been named members of the panel formed by President Marcos to probe anomalies in flood control projects, while a mayor who has vowed to expose alleged corrupt activities of some lawmakers will serve as its special adviser.

Rogelio Singson, who served as public works chief during the Aquino administration, and Rossana Fajardo, SGV & Co. country managing partner, will be part of the three-person Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro announced yesterday.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who recently claimed that at least 67 legislators were using contractors as "fronts" for flood control projects, has been named special adviser and investigator for the commission.

Marcos is expected to announce the chairman of the independent body within the week.

"The President has appointed individuals of proven competence, integrity and deep familiarity with infrastructure, finance and institutional reform,” Castro said at a press briefing at Malacañang.

“They voluntarily accepted the task. They were not appointed to protect the system, but to face it. Each one has a long experience in identifying problems inside institutions and in implementing reforms in huge organizations,” she added.

Castro vouched for the independence of the panel members, saying none of them is connected to any agency or contractor being investigated.

The ICI, created through Executive Order No. 94, covers flood control and other infrastructure projects undertaken in the last 10 years. The commission’s powers and functions include gathering and assessing evidence and reports against government officials and personnel tagged in irregularities, conducting hearings, taking testimonies and recommending the freezing or seizure of assets reasonably believed to be tied to anomalous projects.