Senator Win Gatchalian on Sunday pressed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to strengthen coordination with local government units (LGUs), stressing that oversight at the local level is essential to curb corruption in infrastructure projects.
As Senate Finance Committee chair, he said proposals for inclusion in the 2027 national budget must undergo LGU validation to ensure transparency and alignment with community needs.
“Maraming cases ngayon na iyong mga projects, bigla na lang sumusulpot sa kanilang lugar pero hindi alam ng mga LGUs,” he said, citing flood control projects in Oriental Mindoro that local officials said they were never consulted on.
Gatchalian emphasized that coordination should occur even before projects enter the National Expenditure Program (NEP), noting that only around 35% of NEP projects come from regional development councils (RDCs) despite their mandate to vet local proposals.
“We have to avoid uncoordinated projects; the best scenario is that these projects are approved by the RDCs,” he added.
His statement comes as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee continues its probe into alleged multibillion-peso ghost and anomalous flood control projects tied to the DPWH.
Gatchalian has also supported a full inquiry into the failure of Cebu’s flood mitigation works, which coincided with deadly flooding during Typhoon Tino.