MANILA – Senator Francis Escudero is pushing for stricter transparency and accountability measures in government infrastructure spending by requiring feasibility studies and digital tracking systems before projects can be included in the national budget.
In a statement Monday, Escudero said his proposed Senate Bill No. 1461, also known as the Infrastructure Appropriations Integrity Act, aims to ensure that no public funds are released for projects lacking proper technical and financial documentation.
Under the bill, all infrastructure projects must undergo a comprehensive feasibility study detailing cost breakdowns, material estimates, and standard unit prices. These documents, he emphasized, should be made publicly accessible to promote open scrutiny of government spending.
“All proposed projects must be vetted; otherwise, they should not receive a single centavo in public funds,” Escudero said. He added that each project must be assigned station numbers, geotags, and geodetic coordinates to enable citizens to verify whether construction is ongoing or if it has stalled despite continuous fund releases.
The senator also called for a firm stance against budget splitting, a practice where appropriations are divided into smaller phases to bypass procurement laws and oversight mechanisms.
“Splitting of government contracts has long been prohibited under Republic Act 9184. It is meant to prevent schemes that enable corruption,” Escudero noted, warning that such loopholes undermine fiscal integrity.
He further urged Senate Finance Committee Chair Sherwin Gatchalian to include key transparency safeguards from his proposed measure as part of the 2026 national budget through general or special provisions across implementing agencies.
Escudero said the combination of feasibility studies and tech-based monitoring would make infrastructure implementation more accountable, efficient, and corruption-resistant, ensuring that every peso allocated delivers tangible results for the public. (PNA)