MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed surprise upon learning that a key safeguard against corruption in government infrastructure projects was scrapped during the previous administration.
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| Photo courtesy: Presidential Communications Office (PCO) |
In the latest episode of the BBM Podcast, the President revealed that national government projects had deviated from standard procedures in the past decade, raising concerns over accountability and quality control.
Marcos recalled that during his time as governor of Ilocos Norte, local governments had a vital role in ensuring the integrity of national projects.
“When I was in local government, national government projects would come in, and once finished, the contractors would report back to us. We would then conduct an inspection. If the work was substandard, I would refuse to sign the acceptance,” he explained.
Under this system, contractors could not be paid unless the local government signed the acceptance document, forcing them to fix defects and complete the project properly.
The President lamented that this safeguard was “entirely removed” in recent years.
“I was shocked because this is the standard procedure. It’s automatic—you don’t even question it anymore,” Marcos said.
Looking ahead, the President underscored the importance of harnessing modern technologies to strengthen transparency in public spending and infrastructure monitoring.
When asked about innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, Marcos said he has yet to encounter an AI system tailored specifically for budget and project oversight, but sees promise in blockchain technology.
Blockchain, he noted, is a decentralized and tamper-proof digital ledger that records transactions in chronological blocks across multiple computers, ensuring data integrity and transparency.
— The Summit Express