Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday urged the Department of Economic Planning and Development to approve more projects endorsed by regional development councils in order to prevent budget “insertions.”
According to Gatchalian, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, instead of going through the national expenditure program, the projects recommended by the RDCs are being inserted directly into the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Regional development councils normally review project proposals to ensure alignment with national development goals before forwarding them to the national level for inclusion in the National Expenditure Program.
“The process gets shortcut, and that’s where the problem arises because some of these projects lack feasibility studies and detailed engineering designs,” he explained.
The senator suggests that a higher approval rate for RDC-endorsed projects would encourage local government units to follow the prescribed process.
Following the correct sequence of project evaluation, according to Gatchalian, strengthens accountability and transparency in government spending.
DepDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan acknowledged that only about one-third of projects included in the NEP have been approved by regional development councils.
“If we can improve the batting average, people will be encouraged to go through the process,” Gatchalian said.
