Manila: Local government clearance will once again be required before national infrastructure projects are considered complete, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced Monday, saying this safeguard was removed during the previous administration and weakened accountability on public works.
According to Philippines News Agency, Marcos emphasized in a press briefing at Malaca±ang that requiring local chief executives to formally accept projects before they are declared finished is an important check against substandard outputs. ‘We are putting it back because that is one of the best safeguards that we have,’ Marcos told reporters.
The President recalled his tenure as a governor, stating that no project could be considered completed without the local government’s acceptance. This requirement was removed in the last administration, but Marcos emphasized its importance, adding that local officials are in the best position to verify whether infrastructure is built to standard. He explained that local governments do not profit from these projects, ensuring their impartiality in checking project standards, such as road thickness.
Marcos also affirmed the sweeping mandate of the newly created Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate alleged anomalies in multi-billion-peso flood control projects. He appointed retired Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes Jr. as chair, with former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and SGV and Co. executive Rossana Fajardo as commissioners, and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as a consultant.
The ICI, which has subpoena powers but will not prosecute cases directly, emphasizes its independent nature. Marcos assured that the government would not interfere in their work. The commission has decided to meet daily to expedite its findings, covering the past 10 years of flood control contracts, in line with the Commission on Audit’s record-keeping rule.
Furthermore, Marcos announced that funds saved from the cancellation of all 2026 flood control projects would be redirected to education, agriculture, health, housing, ICT, labor, energy, and social programs. ‘What we really want is to fix the system. We have to make it nothing less than a turning point in the conduct of governance in the Philippines,’ he stated.