00:00The usual suspects of observative capacity and or underspending bedevil agencies whose requested budgets are underutilized and result in project completion delays and missed targets.
00:12Hence, the Senate will do its part in keeping close tabs on government agencies to keep them honest and help them in fulfilling work schedules and timelines as we hear more from our Luisa Erisbe.
00:24The Senate will continue monitoring the implementation of the 2026 National Budget.
00:32Even if President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr. has already signed the budget into law, Senators believe it is still their responsibility to ensure government agencies spend the allocated funds correctly.
00:44Sen. Bao Maquino, who chairs the Committee on Basic Education in the Senate, will ensure no ghost projects or even ghost students slip through and into education programs.
00:57Babantayan ng Committee on Basic Education yung tamang paggamit ng pera.
01:01Walang ghost project, walang ghost student, sisiguraduhin natin na sa tamang presyo, sa tamang paraan ang paggamit ng pera para sa edukasyon ng bayan.
01:08Because education has the largest allocation in the budget this year, at 1.34 trillion pesos, it must be ensured that students directly benefit from it.
01:19There should be no trace of corruption in spending the people's money.
01:23Ngayon naman, yung bola, nasa kamay na ng mga education agencies.
01:26Kailangan nilang gawin yung tama, gawin yung tamang presyo, siguraduhin na walang korupsyon, na sumingit dito sa napakalaking pera ang binigay natin sa edukasyon.
01:35Senator Irwin Tulfo, as the vice chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, believes that they should not merely rely on the reports of government agencies to check if their funds are being spent correctly.
01:48According to the senator, there should be random checks on the ground to oversee if the projects are actually being carried out.
01:56Senator Irwin is also in favor of having an oversight committee in the Senate as well as the House of Representatives to prevent a repeat of what happened in 2025 when the budget was allegedly wasted.
02:08The senator suggests including all vice chairs in the committee so they can personally monitor the projects of the agencies, whether small or large, not just in the DPWH but also including farm-to-market roads of the DA and the irrigation projects of the National Irrigation Administration.
02:26Meanwhile, according to Senator Irwin Gachaliana, chairman of the Committee on Finance, the issue of corruption should not be an obstacle to the implementation of infrastructure programs and projects because the people are the ones affected.
02:41The DPWH budget was already slashed by $521 billion this year and spending slowed down due to corruption issues.
02:50But he said the government should still spend 5% of the GDP on infrastructure because of its otherwise huge impact on the economy.
03:00Luisa Erispe from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
