MANILA — Malacañang assured that the proposed P180-million allocation for evacuation centers in every region under the 2027 national budget will be closely monitored against ghost projects, amid concerns that the lump-sum funding could be vulnerable to political influence ahead of the 2028 elections.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said mechanisms are in place to determine whether projects funded by the government are actually implemented, stressing that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not want public money going to projects that exist only on paper.
“Marami po tayong paraan para makita natin kung may mga proyektong napondohan pero hindi nagawa dahil ‘yan naman po ang gusto ng ating Pangulo,” Castro said.
She added that Marcos would not tolerate the recurrence of so-called ghost projects.
“Hindi na po nanaisin ng Pangulo na magkaroon ng mga ghost projects na nangyari sa mga nakaraang administrasyong at sa administrasyong kasalukuyan,” Castro said.
The Palace assurance came after Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson questioned the uniform P180-million allocation for each region in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program, particularly because the budget documents did not identify the specific locations where the evacuation centers would be constructed.
Lacson warned that such a broad allocation could potentially be influenced by political considerations, especially with the 2028 elections approaching.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), however, maintained that the absence of specific locations in the budget proposal does not mean the projects lack a system for determining where the evacuation centers will be built.
Under the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, in coordination with local government units, is responsible for identifying and prioritizing suitable locations, while the Department of Public Works and Highways will undertake the actual implementation of the projects.
The DBM said the selection of sites would be guided by technical and community considerations rather than simply by the discretion of the budget or public works departments.
“The sites must be selected based on technical considerations, including disaster risk, topography, available land, and the actual needs of communities,” the agency said.
The DBM stressed that locations would be determined through the process prescribed by law, with disaster exposure, terrain, land availability and actual community needs among the factors to be considered.
The proposed evacuation center funding forms part of the P7.2-trillion national budget proposal for 2027 submitted by Marcos to Congress.
The administration said the spending program is designed to support economic growth while maintaining control over government finances./PN
