Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has called on the government to put in place stronger mechanism in public works to ensure that legitimate construction firms are still part of the country’s infrastructure programs.

Ejercito said stronger safeguards in public works are essential to restoring the confidence of legitimate construction firms and ensuring that infrastructure programs proceed without disruption.

The senator said one of these would be the use of clear station numbers or coordinates for every project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), as accurate project mapping improves identification, reduces opportunities for manipulation, and strengthens monitoring on the ground.

Moreover, these measures give reputable contractors greater assurance that projects will move under transparent and predictable conditions, he said.

“This is a great help to assure only the public, but also legitimate construction firms who wants to participate again in public bidding,” Ejercito said.

“If contractors are confident, projects move. And when high-impact projects move, so do jobs and our economy,” he stressed.

Ejercito also stressed that continued construction activity is critical to sustaining the sector’s multiplier effect and supporting employment and local growth.

During the plenary debates on the 2026 national budget, Ejercito commended Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance Committee for incorporating these proposed safeguards into the committee report.

He also pointed out past issues, such as unreasonably low profit margins and pressure for SOPs or “cuts”, that have discouraged honest builders from participating and have enabled irregular practices to persist.

“Bottomline, we need legitimate contractors to stay in the system, and we need high-impact infrastructure to continue,” he said.

“This will help provide jobs and make our economy work,” the lawmaker stressed.