Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero is pushing for stricter transparency and accountability in infrastructure spending through his proposed Infrastructure Appropriations Integrity Act (Senate Bill No. 1461).
The bill seeks to ensure that only technically and financially viable projects are included in the national budget. It requires all infrastructure projects to have complete documentation—such as feasibility studies, detailed cost estimates, and geotagging data—to verify their existence and progress.
“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,” said Escudero.
He added that no project should receive funding unless properly vetted, with feasibility and cost analyses available for public review.
The measure also bans “budget splitting” or dividing project funds into phases to bypass procurement rules.
The senator said the proposal aims to curb corruption and prevent “ghost projects,” which have plagued some flood control programs found to have substandard work, overpriced materials, or nonexistent outputs.
Escudero asked Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, also chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, to include these safeguards in the 2026 national budget as general or agency-specific provisions.IMT
