Senate President Francis Escudero announced on Tuesday his intention to file a bill that would prohibit public officials and their relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity from engaging in government contracts as contractors or suppliers.
This proposed measure is a direct response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s call during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) to eliminate corruption, conflict of interest, and misuse of public funds in government transactions. Escudero stated, “Para sa akin, klarong conflict of interest ‘yun at hindi dapat pinapahintulutan nang hindi mawawala ‘yung opisina na pinanghahawakan ng opisyal (To me, it’s a clear conflict of interest and should not be allowed without cost to the official’s position).”
The bill is currently being drafted and is expected to be filed either later that day or by Wednesday. Escudero plans to request its inclusion among the priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). “Isa ‘yun sa hihilingin kong maging priority measure… yun ‘yung pangunahing pag-uusapan namin mamaya kaya kami magko-caucus (That’s one of the priority measures I will propose… it will be the main item in our caucus later),” he added.
In addition to the bill, Escudero expressed his appreciation for the President’s speech, particularly noting its focus on public service and its delivery in Filipino. “Ang ikinatuwa ko talaga, 99.9 porsyento ng kanyang talumpati ay nasa sarili nating wika (What I truly appreciated is that 99.9 percent of his speech was delivered in our own language),” he remarked.
He also welcomed the President’s candid acknowledgment of his administration’s shortcomings over the past three years, calling it a necessary first step toward meaningful reform.