Malacañang affirmed its commitment to preventing corruption and ensuring full transparency in the implementation of vital farm-to-market road projects, following the transfer of the program’s oversight from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In a Palace briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stressed that the reforms initiated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. are aimed at strengthening accountability and preventing any recurrence of past irregularities.
“The President himself was the first to call for a clean budget. He also ordered the investigation into anomalous flood control and infrastructure projects,” Undersecretary Castro stated.
The assurance comes as the administration shifts the implementation of the farm-to-market road program to the Department of Agriculture (DA), working in close coordination with Local Government Units (LGUs). This strategic transfer is designed to better align project execution with the actual needs of local communities and farmers on the ground.
Key Reforms for Accountability:
Transparency in Budgeting and Bidding: Implementation will now feature open and public bidding processes.
Decentralized Implementation: Program implementation will be led by the DA in partnership with LGUs, ensuring decisions reflect local needs.
Public Access to Information: The DA will utilize a transparency portal to make all transactions publicly accessible.
“He does not want a repeat of what happened in the past. That is why he wants all transactions to be proper and open to the public, which is why we have a transparency portal, and the DA will implement the same,” Castro added.
The move is part of President Marcos Jr.’s broader campaign to investigate the abuse of public funds in infrastructure projects, enforce accountability, and implement institutional reforms across government agencies.
