MANILA – Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte on Tuesday fired a defiant salvo at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), refusing to heed its summons for a probe into alleged irregularities in his district’s P4-billion flood control projects, claiming the Marcos-created body holds no legal sway over him as a sitting congressman. In a sharply worded letter dated December 3, 2025, to ICI Chairperson Andres Reyes Jr., Duterte dismissed the commission as a “tool for pure political propaganda” aimed at tarnishing the Duterte family legacy, demanding instead that it turn the spotlight on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his kin, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Duterte’s brazen boycott injects fresh venom into the escalating flood control corruption saga, a multibillion-peso morass of ghost builds, substandard dikes, and kickback claims that’s already ensnared lawmakers, officials, and contractors in a web of warrants and whistleblower bombshells. “I am a sitting member of Congress. Considering that ICI is a creation of President Marcos […], the ICI appears without power or jurisdiction over me,” Duterte asserted, invoking the constitutional separation of powers as his shield. He welcomed scrutiny of Davao’s flood works but accused the ICI of selective targeting, branding it a diversion to shield Marcos from ex-Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co’s viral videos alleging Palace-level meddling in budget manipulations and pork-barrel plunder from 2022 to 2025.
The summons, part of the ICI’s two-month crusade into infrastructure graft, zeroed in on Davao’s river defenses – including the Davao and Matina Rivers – where ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio flagged a laundry list of red flags: P135.14 million in total contract overlaps, P115.09 million in double funding, P484.04 million in relocated projects with slashed coverage, P3.44 billion in unspecified contracts, and P622.57 million for works absent from the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Duterte shot back, challenging Tinio to a firsthand flood tour: “Come to Davao and see the reality of our flooding – these projects were inspected by DPWH and COA.” Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon countered: “Many remain unfinished, poorly sited, or nonexistent – this isn’t inspection; it’s illusion.”
Duterte’s retort turned the tables, demanding the ICI probe Marcos, his family, and Romualdez for Co’s alleged “trillion-peso” schemes. “Since ICI was created by President Marcos Jr., who has been implicated by one of the major players — ex-Cong. Elizaldy Co — I feel that ICI must immediately investigate President Marcos Jr., his family and ex-Speaker forthwith.” Reyes, undeterred, affirmed the commission’s resolve: “We proceed regardless; jurisdiction debates won’t derail justice.” The standoff, amid ICI resignations like Rogelio Singson’s over stress and threats, risks stalling the probe’s momentum, with hearings resuming December 3-5 to summon Marcos’ son Sandro and others.
For a nation still mopping up from Typhoon Uwan’s wrath – where phantom dikes left communities in chaos – Duterte’s defiance feels like another dam breaking, flooding the fight for accountability with family feuds and finger-pointing. As the Trillion Peso March’s echoes fade, Pulong’s power play isn’t just a snub; it’s a symptom of a system where loyalty trumps law, and the people’s purse pays the price. In the graft grapple’s gathering storm, will the ICI’s summons stick, or will Duterte’s dodge drown the deluge of truth?