Procurement law review sought

A SENATOR has filed a resolution seeking to assess the implementation of the New Government Procurement Act to safeguard transparency and integrity of public funds usage.

In the Senate Resolution 336 filed on March 9, Finance Committee Chairman Sherwin T. Gatchalian stressed the need to probe the New Government Procurement Act which has been enacted in 2024.

“The objective is clear; to strengthen transparency and improve the monitoring of funds for infrastructure projects,” Mr. Gatchalian said in a mix of Filipino and English in a press statement.

Mr. Gatchalian noted in the resolution that the Government Procurement Policy Board must be assessed before the compliance deadline on May 15, 2028.

This is to ensure that the new procurement operations under Republic Act No. 12009 are being followed by agencies and bureaus.

“A transparent, effective and efficient government procurement system ensures that public funds are spent judiciously in order to maximize value for money in the delivery of public service and enhances accountability in the use of public funds,” the resolution read.

The resolution, according to Mr. Gatchalian, follows the controversies in the use of public funds as seen in anomalous flood control projects, which erupted mid-2025 when the government flagged 421 projects to be nonexistent.

As of January, 14 of these have been confirmed by the Department of Justice to be ghost projects. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel