President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed shock upon learning that a standard procedure designed to prevent corruption in government infrastructure projects was removed during the previous administration.
In a recent podcast interview, the President revealed that national projects have failed to follow proper guidelines over the past decade.
He recalled that during his tenure as governor of Ilocos Norte, local officials played a vital role in inspecting and validating the quality of national government projects.
Marcos explained that contractors were not paid unless the local government signed the acceptance document, which compelled them to fix defects and complete the work properly.
He emphasized that this safeguard was a crucial accountability measure that ensured infrastructure quality and deterred corruption.
The President lamented that the procedure was entirely removed, describing it as a basic standard that should never have been discarded.
Marcos also acknowledged the potential of modern technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence in enhancing transparency in national budget data and project implementation.
He noted that while no AI tool is currently tailored for this purpose, blockchain could be a viable solution for ensuring data integrity and public trust.