Sen. Francis Escudero is pushing a measure that will allow local government units (LGUs) to propel infrastructure projects needed in their areas.
Under his proposed Grassroots Infrastructure Planning and Budgeting Act, all infrastructure projects must first be endorsed by the Regional Development Council and either the Provincial Development Council or the City/Municipal Development Council, as well as their respective Sanggunian, before inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the president to Congress.
‘At the NEP, no project should proceed if it is not needed by the province or town. Only those that are priorities and most important to them should be included,’ Escudero said in a statement.
‘Even more important are the endorsements of our local government units for projects pursued by legislators as amendments, which are usually admitted to the GAA or the final budget signed into law by the President,’ he added.
Escudero said this principle should guide infrastructure project proposals, their inclusion in the national budget, and the release of funds in the forthcoming 2026 General Appropriations Act and beyond.
The proposed bill states that prior endorsement from the RDCs and/or local governing bodies is a prerequisite or condition sine qua non for any infrastructure project to be included in the GAA and for the release of funds for its implementation.
‘If the RDC does not endorse or approve a project, the Department of Budget and Management will not release any money for it,’ the senator said.
He explained that most, if not all, abuses related to infrastructure project funding result from the arbitrary actions of legislators, in collusion with officials in the Executive branch, who introduce items that never underwent scrutiny at any stage of the budget process.
‘This is the very issue being raised regarding insertions in the budget,’ Escudero said, noting that these projects appeared out of nowhere and were included in the national budget without anyone confirming if they were feasible, necessary, or even real.
Escudero urged his colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives to prioritize approval of the measure, saying, ‘It will address the issues dominating the national conversation and strengthen the reforms being introduced in the budget process.’