Sen. Francis Escudero has filed a bill requiring strict verification and tracking systems for all infrastructure projects funded by the national budget, aiming to stop questionable allocations and ensure better use of public money.
Under Senate Bill No. 1461, or the proposed Infrastructure Appropriations Integrity Act, government projects would only be allowed in the budget if they pass technical and financial viability checks. The measure also calls for technology-based monitoring, including station numbers, geotagging, and geodetic coordinates.
Escudero said such tools will help verify if public works are actually moving or simply listed on paper while funding continues to flow. “Geotagging is one of the most important mechanisms for us to see the actual status of a project—whether something is really being done or if it’s just idle while the government continues to release funds,” he said in Filipino.
The bill also bars “budget splitting,” a practice where project funding is divided into multiple phases to allegedly avoid scrutiny. It also mandates full feasibility studies before any proposal is allowed into the National Expenditure Program and approved General Appropriations Act. “All proposed projects must be vetted otherwise it should not receive a single centavo in public funds,” Escudero said.
The senator currently faces allegations connected to a flood-control funding controversy. In September, former Public Works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo told senators he once turned over a cut from supposed project allocations to Escudero’s camp, claiming, “After inclusion of the projects in the General Appropriations Act, I delivered 20 percent of approximately P800 million, or about P160 million, which was meant for Senator Escudero.”
Escudero has denied the accusation and called it part of a “well-orchestrated” attempt to discredit the Senate.
