MANILA — Senate Senior Majority Leader and Committee on Finance Chairperson JV Ejercito announced that his office is enforcing a stringent screening process for infrastructure projects under the proposed 2027 national budget, declaring that no project will be approved without complete documentation and verified implementation readiness.
Ejercito’s office is currently conducting a detailed review of 6,271 infrastructure projects newly inserted into the House-transmitted General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Speaking in a radio interview with DZMM, he explained that the Senate is meticulously checking individual budget proposals to ensure proper evaluation before any funds are allocated.
“Nililinya natin ngayon ang bawat entry, ang bawat proyekto. Talagang napakahirap kasi kailangan mong tingnan at busisiin ang bawat isa,” Ejercito said.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is required to submit comprehensive supporting documents for every proposal, including a Program of Works, Certificate of Implementability, project justification, Regional Development Council approval, and geotagged photographs and coordinates.
“Hindi na tayo papayag sa mga proyekto na walang Program of Works, walang Certificate of Implementability, walang Regional Development Council approval, at walang geotagging, lalo na sa mga infrastructure projects,” he emphasized.
To enforce these safeguards, Ejercito previously met with Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez and Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon to push for the exclusion of non-compliant infrastructure proposals ahead of plenary deliberations.
Furthermore, the Senate is upholding enhanced transparency measures by actively collaborating with civil society organizations, budget watchdogs, and academic institutions. These groups are encouraged to scrutinize line items and report red flags directly to senators.
“We’ve been very open about it. Hindi namin sila pinaimbita lang as observers. Kung meron silang nakikitang red flags at iba pa, binibigay nila sa amin ang kanilang observations at bini-bring up namin ito para maitanong sa mga ahensya,” Ejercito stated.