Gov’t told to fast-track contractor payments to ramp up infra spending

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. ordered government agencies to speed up payments to contractors who deliver quality work, amid his administration’s push to ramp up infrastructure spending.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said the directive was issued after a meeting between the President and the economic team on Jan. 30, where Mr. Marcos urged his Cabinet to “move forward” and keep agencies focused on fast, efficient delivery of infrastructure projects.

The aim is to ensure Filipinos fully benefit from public works as the administration seeks to lift economic growth, she said in a briefing in Filipino.

The Palace did not specify a timeline, but the President wants it done “as soon as possible,” Ms. Castro noted.

The Philippines is investigating a multibillion-peso flood control scandal following the revelations of Mr. Marcos in his fourth State of the Nation Address last July 2025.

This dragged the country’s full-year economic growth to 4.4% in 2025, below the government’s 5.5% to 6.5% target for the year.

Mr. Marcos instructed departments to streamline payment processes for contractors that comply with their contracts, linking quicker disbursements to better project execution.

He also underscored the need for stronger coordination between national and local governments to monitor and complete projects on time, Ms. Castro said.

“Because the President said ‘let us move forward,’ we need to intensify, improve, and do everything we can to lift the country’s economy,” she said.

“Among the President’s directives is to pay contractors who performed well and were unproblematic.”

This followed an earlier directive, asking government agencies to monitor their projects, Malacañang said.

This prompted the Department of Agriculture to intensify oversight of its farm-to-market road projects to ensure farmers and fishers benefit from lower production costs.

The monitoring is being handled by the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering, which will subject projects to stricter reviews to ensure compliance with engineering standards and consistency in construction. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana