Photo courtesy of PNA
Baguio lone district Rep. Mauricio Domogan pushed for a law requiring pre-audit and geo-tagging before the government releases payments for infrastructure projects.
Domogan said the proposed safeguards were meant to strengthen oversight of public spending and verify whether projects were built at their declared locations.
He said pre-audit would add a formal review before payment, while geo-tagging would help confirm the exact sites of government-funded infrastructure.
The lawmaker added that the Commission on Audit had agreed with the proposal in principle, but legislation was still needed to make the requirements mandatory.
Domogan said the measure could help prevent irregularities similar to those raised in cases involving alleged ghost and substandard flood control projects.
He also said he wanted to check whether COA had sufficient funding and personnel to carry out the added verification work if the measure became law.
According to Domogan, he had previously sought to include the same safeguards during deliberations on the 2026 General Appropriations Act, but the provision was not adopted.
He later filed a separate bill to institutionalize the requirements, saying stronger checks before payment could provide another layer of protection for public funds.