Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito called on citizens and watchdog organizations on Tuesday to assist lawmakers in flagging ghost or questionable flood control infrastructure as deliberations begin on the proposed ₱7.2-trillion 2027 national budget.
As chair of the Senate Finance Committee responsible for steering the National Expenditure Program through Congress, Ejercito pledged to purge duplicate and overlapping public works projects from the upcoming budget allocation.
“Kaya we encourage also itong mga civil society organizations, watchdogs, at iba pa… to participate dito kung meron kayo nakikita na mga anomalous na may pwedeng i-red flag, ipagbigay-alam sa atin dahil hindi naman natin kayang tingnan lahat yan,” Ejercito urged during a television interview.
“Kailangan natin ipakita ang transparency, kailangan natin makuha muli ang tiwalan ng taong bayan sa budgeting at sa Kongreso and Senate as a whole,” he stated.
Ejercito emphasized that his priority is preventing a recurrence of widespread irregularities tied to flood mitigation initiatives, describing past mismanagements as among the worst scandals in public spending history.
“Hindi na pwede yung basta magpo-proyekto para lang pagkakitaan,” he asserted.
The senator’s call coincides with ongoing government oversight measures, including the launch of the sumbongsapangulo.ph portal by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in August 2025, which allows citizens to report local flood control irregularities directly following promises made during his fourth State of the Nation Address.