Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) chief Arsenio Balisacan sought budgetary support for Regional Development Councils (RDCs) for 2026, seeking to stop ‘non-effective’ or ‘simply wasteful’ government projects.
Balisacan made the appeal during the Senate sub-panel on finance’s Friday hearing on the proposed 2026 budget of DEPDev and attached agencies.
He said they are requesting Congress to provide more support to local government units and RDCs, noting the huge tasks they cover.
In particular, Balisacan noted that RDCs are usually the ones on the ground, monitoring infrastructure projects, including those related to flood control.
‘We have these committees and they are supposed to know and be able to monitor these various infrastructure projects including flood control projects, but they don’t have resources to be able to do that function – especially [in] a difficult region [such] as MIMAROPA,’ said Balisacan.
‘That mobility cost is a problem,’ he told the senators.
Apart from this, Balisacan noted the need to ‘give more resources’ to Research and Development Monitoring and Evaluation.
‘I also find that quite missing is the lack of appreciation of what monitoring and evaluation can do. We don’t provide enough support to good studies doing impact assessment, monitoring assessment of completed and ongoing projects, especially for completed projects so that we don’t keep repeating mistakes over and over again,’ he lamented.
‘We don’t know that we are making mistakes because there is no available information to inform [us] of those mistakes,’ he added.
In making his appeal, Balisacan emphasized that these movements are not ‘expensive activities.’
‘If we do it right scientifically, they’re quite cheap and the benefits are enormous if we are able to stop non-effective programs or simply wasteful programs and projects,’ he said.
Panel on finance head Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, meanwhile, acknowledged Balisacan’s appeal, admitting the need for reform in the government’s planning and budgeting process, as well as budgeting coordination.
‘We understand that when DPWH endorses a project, it’s taken as gospel truth and ends up in NEP immediately. As opposed to, let’s say, the RDC endorsed – the RDC endorsed projects – you will really pass through the needle hole, which is good to be endorsed by the RDC,’ said Gatchalian.
‘This is good in my opinion, because that means the vetting process is working, making sure that all projects are aligned with the Philippine Development Plan,’ he added. /apl