Quezon city: Two members of the House of Representatives, Rep. Juan Carlos 'Arjo' Atayde of Quezon City 1st District and Rep. Dean Asistio of Caloocan City 3rd District, appeared before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Tuesday. Their session, held behind closed doors, aimed to clarify anomalies in flood control projects.

According to Philippines News Agency, the ICI has requested additional documents from the lawmakers to assist in the ongoing investigation. Rep. Atayde has been given until December 2 to comply, while Rep. Asistio has until November 28, as stated in an ICI statement.

The ICI defended its decision to conduct the hearings in executive session. ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka explained to reporters that while hearings are generally live-streamed, the guidelines allow for an executive session if requested by resource persons on factual and legal grounds. Both lawmakers made such requests due to potential sensitive information that might be disclosed during their testimonies.

The ICI found the grounds sufficient, in line with the Live Streaming Guidelines published in the Official Gazette on November 22. At the beginning of their testimonies, both lawmakers confirmed their preference for an executive session.

Hosaka noted that while the option for executive sessions is available under Section 1.2 of the ICI live-streaming guidelines, resource persons can still choose to participate in a live-streamed testimony. However, both lawmakers opted for privacy in this instance.

He emphasized ICI's commitment to conducting investigations that respect the public's right to information, ensure due process, adhere to legal standards, and protect the rights of individuals involved.

Quezon 3rd District Rep. Reynante Arrogancia and Occidental Mindoro Rep. Leody Tarriela are scheduled to appear before the ICI on Wednesday, with both having also requested executive sessions.