Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero is pushing for the institutionalization of budget transparency and accountability safeguards for all infrastructure projects introduced in the national budget as a way of preventing irregularities and the abuse and misuse of government funds.
To ensure that only government infrastructure projects that are technically and financially viable are included in the national budget, Escudero has filed Senate Bill Number 1461 or the proposed Infrastructure Appropriations Integrity Act.
Under the measure, all infrastructure projects will have to incorporate mechanisms such as station numbers, geotagging, geodetic coordinates, and other technology-based methodologies that will allow anyone to locate these at any time.
Escudero recently wrote to Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Senator Sherwin Gatchalian to adopt the transparency and accountability safeguards contained in SBN 1461 as a general provision in the 2026 national budget or as a special provision under specific agency appropriations.
“Ang geotagging ay isa sa pinakamahalagang mekanismo para makita natin kung ano ang estado ng isang proyekto—kung may ginagawa ba talaga o naka tengga lang ito habang tuloy-tuloy na nagpapalabas ng pondo ang gobyerno,” Escudero said.
The bill also states that no government infrastructure project should be included in the national budget and implemented unless it has gone through a thorough feasibility study.
The technical and financial bases for the projects, including the detailed unit price analyses, standard cost of materials, and quantity estimates should be properly and accurately documented for the perusal of all, particularly the public.
“This documentation is a requirement and condition sine qua non for inclusion of any infrastructure project in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and the General Appropriations Act (GAA). All proposed projects must be vetted otherwise it should not receive a single centavo in public funds,” Escudero said.
Budget splitting or the division of the appropriations for infrastructure projects in phases will also be prohibited for whatever reason.
Infrastructure projects will have to incorporate mechanisms such as station numbers, geotagging, geodetic coordinates, and other technology-based methodologies that will allow anyone to locate these at any time.
“Splitting of government contracts has long been prohibited under Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Law. This is to prevent the schemes that are intended to circumvent the law and budget policies in order to facilitate corruption,” the former Senate President said.
In the ongoing reviews and investigations being conducted on the government’s flood control programs, several problems were discovered including substandard construction and materials, overpriced procurement, and in some instances the non-existence of projects or what is more commonly referred to as ghost projects.
Escudero recently wrote to Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Senator Sherwin Gatchalian to adopt the transparency and accountability safeguards contained in SBN 1461 as a general provision in the 2026 national budget or as a special provision under specific agency appropriations.
