The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) granted Congressman Roman Romulo’s request for an executive session, meaning his participation in the hearing was not livestreamed for public viewing.

Before the hearing officially began, the ICI conducted a brief livestream in which the commission asked Romulo whether he would allow his appearance to be broadcasted. The congressman requested an executive session, prompting the commission to inquire about his reasons.

Romulo’s lawyer explained that livestreaming the hearing could potentially compromise her client’s personal safety and put his household at risk.

“On the ground that the disclosure of the information that will be provided by the good congressman at this point would potentially put the life and safety of an individual particularly the good congressman,” the lawyer said.

She also noted that public broadcast could be misused to damage Romulo’s reputation, especially since there would be no control over how viewers might interpret or share his statements.

“Considering the nature of today’s session and inquiry, the livestream of these proceedings could be misused by members of the public to malign the reputation of the good congressman and would create an environment that would not favor an impartial deliberation on the matter at hand,” she added.

The congressman himself cited an issued Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) against him, claiming that some parties had used the information against him. He also expressed concern over the spread of misleading or abused information about him on social media and other online platforms.

Sworn affidavit to be publicized

At the end of the executive session, Romulo agreed to publicize his sworn affidavit stating he has no problem with it considering it is a "public documentation".