Bill boosts transparency in infra spending

A SENATOR on Monday said that he has filed a bill that will strengthen transparency and accountability for infrastructure spending, amid the multibillion-peso scandal involving flood control projects.

Senate Bill No. 1461, authored by Senator Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero, proposes that all government infrastructure projects undergo feasibility studies and include traceable features like geotagging and geodetic coordinates to prevent the misuse of public funds.

“Geotagging is one of the most important mechanisms for us to see the status of a project — whether it is actually being done or whether it is just on hold while the government continues to release funds,” he said in a statement.

The proposed Infrastructure Appropriations Integrity Act also mandates that no infrastructure project should be included in the budget unless it has gone through a feasibility study.

“All proposed projects must be vetted otherwise it should not receive a single centavo in public funds,” Mr. Escudero said.

It also requires the technical and financial bases for the projects, along with detailed unit price analyses, standard cost of materials, and quantity estimates.

The bill also prohibits “budget splitting” or the division of the appropriations for infrastructure projects in phases. — Adrian H. Halili