Manila: A focus on oversight and transparency is set to drive accountability in the 2026 budget, according to a solon who emphasized the need for open procurement processes and stringent measures against blacklisted contractors. The official advocated for live-streaming all procurement activities at national, regional, and district levels and urged other agencies to adopt similar practices.

According to Philippines News Agency, the solon highlighted the importance of preventing issues in infrastructure implementation, particularly by ensuring that contractors previously blacklisted are barred across agencies. "We will closely monitor the direct implementation by the DepEd (Department of Education) and the DA (Department of Agriculture) of their school-building and farm-to-market road programs, respectively, to ensure that the problems experienced during previous DPWH implementation will not happen again. This includes ensuring that blacklisted DPWH contractors will not be able to participate in DepEd and DA procurement activities," he stated.

Beyond infrastructure concerns, the solon stressed the necessity of safeguarding social spending from political interference. "We will also work with the DOH (Department of Health), DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), and other social services agencies to ensure that budget safeguards against political interference in aid distribution and delivery are truly in place," he added.

To further reduce human intervention in procurement, the solon mentioned plans to collaborate with key agencies to transition processes online, thereby limiting personnel involvement throughout the procedure. He also noted the committee's intention to engage with civil society and people's organizations to promote public participation in monitoring the implementation of the 2026 national budget.