Affirming his commitment to strengthening accountability within the country’s agricultural and irrigation sectors, Senator Kiko Pangilinan introduced new transparency mechanisms and digital governance initiatives for the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
In a manifestation, the veteran legislator underscored the importance of sustained transparency reforms to ensure that government programs deliver real, measurable benefits to farmers, fisherfolk, and rural communities.
Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform and is the vice chair of the Subcommittee J of the Senate Committee on Finance, informed his colleagues of the “impending launch” of the DA’s and NIA’s infrastructure transparency dashboard, where “every road (farm-to-market road) bridge project can be verified against its budget and timeline.”
“Ganito magtrabaho dapat sa badyet ng ating mga kababayan.”
“Mas madali nang makita ng tao kung saan napupunta ang pera nila. That is evidence of good governance (and) transparency. Ganito magtrabaho dapat sa badyet ng ating mga kababayan,” the seasoned lawmaker explained.
The agency will also launch a citizen participatory audit program of the Commission on Audit (COA) to give the public a role in real-time monitoring of projects.
“Kapag may taya at may pananagutan, mas maayos ang gawa at walang nasasayang.”
“Kapag may taya at may pananagutan, mas maayos ang gawa at walang nasasayang,” the senator added.
He likewise gave details on the special provisions in the milk-feeding program of the DA’s attached agencies—the National Dairy Authority (NDA) and the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC).
“To ensure transparency and proper fund management, the department proposes special provisions mandating separate accounting for milk-feeding funds and the submission of implementation and fund utilization reports to the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Appropriations within 30 days from the start of implementation and every quarter thereafter,” he said during the budget amendments.
The DA recently expressed its support for the transfer of the milk-feeding program component of the school-based feeding program of the Department of Education (DepEd) to the NDA and PCC.
Pangilinan, who advocates good governance and people-centered leadership, welcomed efforts to strengthen internal audit mechanisms, expand public access to procurement and project data, and adopt digital tools aimed at reducing red tape and curbing irregularities in project implementation.
He has also called on civil society groups and the public to actively participate in holding government officials to task and demanding accountability.
