Manila: The Senate is weighing whether pending legislation should create new safeguards against wasteful infrastructure spending or reinforce a national master plan already required under existing law. The committee on economic affairs, chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, on Thursday opened deliberations on four versions of the proposed Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Act.
According to Philippines News Agency, Hontiveros emphasized the need for the measure to halt poorly planned, unnecessary, and irregular projects during the planning and budgeting stages, citing flood-control spending controversies. She noted that without a master plan or development plan, the budget becomes a list of projects not aligned with community needs or economic potential.
The proposals filed by Senators JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Erwin Tulfo, and Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian aim to institutionalize a 30-year Comprehensive Infrastructure Development Master Plan (CIDMP). They focus on establishing standards and priorities for major projects, linking infrastructure planning with the national budget, and clarifying government agencies' responsibilities.
Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) Assistant Secretary Roderick Planta informed the panel that the bills have significant overlap with Republic Act 12145, or the Economy, Planning and Development Act. RA 12145 already mandates infrastructure agencies to submit sectoral plans for integration into the CIDMP and provides a framework for long-term national development planning.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. also issued Executive Order No. 72 in October 2024, instructing agencies to adopt an integrated process for formulating, approving, budgeting, implementing, and monitoring infrastructure master plans. Hontiveros stated that the committee would evaluate how the bills could address the overlap and enhance the mechanisms established under the law and executive order.
Senator Tulfo argued that a legislated master plan would prevent infrastructure priorities from shifting with each new administration. He stressed the importance of constructing the right projects, in the right places, at the right times, and for the right needs of the people. Tulfo added that long-term planning would reduce project duplication and delays, improve accountability, and ensure continuity of infrastructure facilities beyond political terms.
DepDev has initiated the preparation of the National Infrastructure Planning Framework, with an initial draft targeted by the end of 2026 and completion of the CIDMP by the end of 2027. Planta acknowledged that ongoing Senate consultations could further improve and strengthen the planning process despite its existing statutory basis.
