President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday unveiled a new AI-driven transparency portal for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), calling it the government’s strongest reform measure yet after recent revelations over ghost projects, kickbacks, and anomalies in flood control works.
In a Malacañang briefing, Mr. Marcos described the portal as the “third phase” of the administration’s response to the scandal, saying that after identifying defective or nonexistent projects and those responsible, the next step is systemic reform.
He noted that one major problem uncovered by investigations was the loss of transparency inside government.
He said people could no longer see what was happening in key projects, with even local chief executives being blocked by contractors from conducting inspections.
The portal, he explained, allows users to search infrastructure projects by location and instantly view implementing offices, contractors, budgets, accomplishments, target dates, procurement data, and official documents.
Users can tag projects as completed, defective, duplicate, unfinished, or ghost. The portal features geotagged photos from pre-construction to completion, satellite images from the Philippine Space Agency and private partners, and livestreamed procurement and bidding proceedings.
Mr. Marcos said full disclosure is necessary because the public has the right to know how taxpayer funds are spent. The site includes a bilingual AI assistant and encourages citizens to report suspicious projects.
As the government’s corruption probe continues, President Marcos said transparency is essential to rebuilding trust, adding: “Sunlight is the best medicine.”
