The Senate has advanced a bill to create an Independent People’s Commission (IPC), a non-partisan body to investigate irregularities in public works projects. Senate Bill 1512, authored by Senators Sotto, Tulfo, Hontiveros, and Pangilinan, seeks to institutionalize citizen participation in uncovering anomalies in planning, procurement, and implementation.
The IPC will complement existing agencies such as the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, and Civil Service Commission. Its mandate includes investigating overpricing, ghost projects, substandard materials, assessing responsible parties, recommending prosecution, and serving as a central repository of infrastructure data to improve oversight.
The five-member commission will include a retired Supreme Court justice as chair, a certified public accountant or forensic auditor, an experienced engineer or architect, an NGO representative, and an academic expert in public administration or related fields. Members will be appointed by the president for three-year terms from vetted professional lists.
The bill underscores the government’s duty to safeguard public resources and promote transparency, while giving citizens a formal platform to monitor infrastructure governance.
