Senator Kiko Pangilinan is pushing for stricter transparency rules across all National Irrigation Administration (NIA) projects to prevent a repeat of past irregularities in irrigation and flood control programs.
During Thursday’s plenary debates on the 2026 national budget, Pangilinan—who sponsored NIA’s proposed allocation—emphasized that efficient irrigation is crucial to improving farm output and securing the nation’s food supply.
“On the issue of monitoring, we are introducing a transparency special provision in the budget, including an allocation of about ₱50 million for a public online dashboard,” he said.
“In other words, kasama d’yan ang photos, geo-tagging, pangalan ng contractors, amount, status ng proyekto.”
Under a subcommittee report submitted to Senate finance chair Sen. Win Gatchalian, Pangilinan proposed funding for three safeguards: Transparency of Irrigation Projects, Citizen Participatory Audit, and Quarterly Reporting Requirements.
The plan directs NIA to establish a real-time public dashboard displaying project timelines, financial records, contracts, contractors, and geo-tagged photos at key stages of implementation.
It also instructs NIA to support the Commission on Audit’s Citizen Participatory Audit Program, enabling civil society to help monitor spending. A separate provision would require quarterly progress and financial reports to Congress.
Gatchalian welcomed the proposal, saying it would allow tracking “down to the last project.”