Two senators are now actively pushing for the immediate passage of Senate Bill No. 2 or the proposed Masterplan on Infrastructure and National Development Act (MIND) Act that would put an end to highly irregular and anomalous infrastructure projects and also stop last-minute budget insertions in government projects.

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he is confident the proposed MIND Act will accelerate development, generate sustainable jobs, and spread economic growth across the country.

“This will hit two birds with one stone… Sa tingin ko, I think this will be the key. This will really stimulate economic growth all over the country. This will spread out the development, not only in Metro Manila, not only in Cebu, not only Davao will have centers of growth. It should be spread out even in other areas in Mindanao,” Ejercito said during the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs joint with Committee on Public Works and Finance on Thursday, July 16.

"Railways and mass transit are the key to the faster movement of people, businesses, and the economy. Infrastructure development is not just for the current administration; it is for the next generation of Filipinos," he added.

According to Ejercito, author of the bill, the creation of the MIND Council will help ensure that major infrastructure projects are coordinated, data-driven, transparent, and continue beyond changes in political leadership.

He also said the government must prioritize projects that create sustainable jobs and livelihood opportunities instead of relying solely on cash assistance programs.

“Let us not simply rely on social aid programs. We need decent jobs and livelihoods that are sustainable in the long run. Financial aid is only a short-term measure; it is not sustainable. What we want are genuine jobs and livelihoods to uplift the lives of our fellow citizens,” he said.

Ejercito said the same measure also seeks to remove policies like the practice of last-minute budget insertions during the bicameral conference committee and strengthen the participation of local governments in determining priority infrastructure projects.

"We will no longer accept insertions during the bicameral conference. We will ensure that our regional development councils and local governments have a voice in selecting the projects to be implemented. Projects can no longer be introduced without the knowledge or prioritization of the community itself," he said.

He also stressed that the recent flood control issue exposed the consequences of fragmented planning, weak project monitoring, and poor accountability, making the passage of the MIND Act more urgent than ever.

Thus, he emphasized that it is important that those responsible for alleged anomalies in flood control projects must be held accountable; the government must also not allow the scandal to paralyze infrastructure development.

“Let us fix the system. Let us hold those responsible accountable. But let us continue the projects that our fellow citizens truly need,” he said.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, head of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, also pushed for the measure, saying it seeks to institutionalize long-term planning and strict spending in government infrastructure projects.

During the hearing of the Senate economics panel, Hontiveros noted how the proposed MIND bill will help prevent unnecessary, expensive, and irregular projects by placing a renewed focus and introducing reforms at the planning stage of infrastructure development.

“When there is no masterplan, no development plan, the budget becomes an incoherent list of projects chosen not by community needs or economic potential,” she said.

The proposed law also seeks to develop a continuing and comprehensive infrastructure plan, which will set standards, requirements and priorities for projects, and clarify the role of various government agencies and instrumentalities in the development of critical infrastructure.