House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III said that the congressmen invited by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will skip the hearing scheduled on Friday, November 14, citing that the said House members had already submitted themselves to the jurisdiction and ongoing investigation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

In a letter addressed to Senate President Pro Tempore and Committee Chairman Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Dy stated that the House of Representatives shares the Senate’s commitment to truth and accountability, and respects the oversight functions of the Blue Ribbon Committee.

However, Dy said that the invited members have already submitted themselves to the ICI, the independent body established by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. through Executive Order No. 94.

“As such, it is in the interest of the Filipino people that these House Members first fulfill their duty to cooperate with the independent investigative body directly tasked by the Executive with this matter,” Dy wrote.

“Subjecting them to a simultaneous legislative inquiry on the identical subject could potentially prejudice the findings of the ICI,” he added.

Despite this, the House Speaker affirmed the House’s support of all initiatives aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee resumed its probe into the anomalous flood control projects on Friday. Former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, in a second supplemental affidavit, implicated several officials in the alleged kickback scheme involving infrastructure projects.