Malacañang yesterday said it welcomed Senate President Chiz Escudero’s proposal for the government to draw up a “negative list” of infrastructure projects that should not be funded under next year’s national budget.
PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro said the suggestion would help ensure transparency and prevent questionable insertions in the spending plan.
“His suggestion is welcome. As the President earlier announced, the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Public Works and Highways have been directed to scrutinize projects that may have been inserted,” Castro said.
“These need to be studied and evaluated to determine if the concerns are valid,” she added.
Escudero also urged Malacañang to declare a moratorium on new flood control projects in 2026, noting that billions of pesos from the 2025 budget have yet to be spent.
Castro responded that Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has already begun addressing the matter.
Asked about the total allocation for flood control from 2022 to 2025 and whether President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could be held liable for alleged anomalies, Castro stressed that only the 2023 to 2025 budgets fall under Marcos’ term.
“All allocations are reflected in the General Appropriations Act and are publicly available,” she said.
Escudero on Tuesday urged Malacañang to draw up a “negative list” of infrastructure projects that cannot be funded under the proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget, saying it would prevent the inclusion of questionable items.
Escudero warned that “useless projects” would proliferate without clear prohibitions and cited overpriced road devices and “vanity projects” like waiting sheds, swimming pools, and signages as examples.
