Retired General Rodolfo Azurin Jr., Special Adviser of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), clarified on Thursday that the commission has yet to make a final decision on whether contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya will be considered state witnesses, contrary to what they believed.

In an exclusive interview on DZRH Dos Por Dos, Azurin stated that the investigation is still ongoing, and therefore no decision has been made yet on whether the Discaya spouses will not be included in the Witness Protection Program (WPP) as state witnesses.

This comes after the Discaya spouses decided yesterday to withdraw their cooperation from the ICC investigation into the flood control scandal upon learning that they are not being considered as state witnesses.

“Hindi pa ho kasi mahaba pa hong proseso e, kaya nga po nabigla nga po ang mga commissioners po natin na para bang inaakusahan kaagad ng mag-asawang Discaya,” Azurin explained, referring to the couple's sudden withdrawal from cooperating with the investigation despite no final decision yet on their status as potential state witnesses.

Azurin noted that the Discaya couple seemed to assume that the ICI commissioners had already made a final decision on their case, when in fact, the commission had repeatedly extended invitations for them to cooperate as part of the ongoing investigation.

However, Azurin said that during the couple’s appearance yesterday, no dialogue took place as they immediately submitted their sworn statements. He added that the commissioners respected the couple’s decision and proceeded accordingly.

Meanwhile, since the contractors have withdrawn their cooperation with the ICI and are no longer being considered as potential state witnesses, they may be removed from protective custody and could now potentially face charges, according to the special adviser.