To put a stop to ghost projects and other forms of corruption that have hounded the country's infrastructure programs, Senator Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson on Thursday, Nov. 18 said he would institute a geo-tagging system in the first 100 days of his term, if he wins the 2022 presidential election.
Lacson said the geo-tagging system would also show his seriousness in imposing a zero-tolerance policy against erring contractors - and their benefactors.
"Integrity in our infrastructure spending must be built on transparency and accountability. I will institute a geo-tagging system to provide an open data visualization platform containing all public infrastructure projects. Lahat ng proyekto — kahit ghost projects pa — makikita ng publiko (All projects, even ghost projects, will be visible to the public)," Lacson - the presidential standard bearer of Partido Reporma - said at the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry's 47th Philippine Business Conference and Expo.
"We will impose zero tolerance to erring contractors and their benefactors," he added.
Lacson said spending on infrastructure provides the best value for government’s money even as he stressed the public must see tangible gains such as easing of traffic, reduction of transport costs, and connecting of people.
He said he would sustain and continue infra spending for priority projects - such as those on transport systems for our food supply chain, inter-island connectivity, regional food terminals and health facilities - by realistically setting targets which are time-bound and implementable.
Another priority will be to start building climate-resilient infrastructure, as well as stopping the practice of "preventive maintenance" by demolishing roads that are not damaged.
These would all dovetail with his efforts to invest in and implement a National Broadband Program to connect, unify and automate all government processes for "efficient business transactions, increased revenue collections, and eradication of corruption in all levels of our bureaucracy,’’ Lacson stressed.