Gatchalian pushes to bar ex-politicians’ firms from gov't projects

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday said he will file a legislative measure that would ban companies previously owned by politicians from undertaking government infrastructure projects, including flood control initiatives.

Gatchalian said the measure, if enacted into law, would lead to sweeping reforms in the implementation of government projects and is expected to effectively curb corruption.

“A contractor or company previously owned by politicians will be barred from joining government contracts,” Gatchalian said, pointing out that divestment has long been a convenient excuse for politicians to continue participating in government projects.

According to the senator, reports reveal that some politicians are serving as contractors for their own government-funded infrastructure projects, sparking fresh concerns over ongoing conflicts of interest and corruption in the national budget process.

“May mga ulat na ilang politiko ay sangkot o nasa likod ng mga ghost projects o ang tinatawag kong ‘ampaw’ projects (There are reports that some politicians are involved in or behind ghost projects, or what I call ‘hollow’ projects),” he said.

“We must examine what their connection is to these anomalous undertakings.”

The Senate Finance Committee Chair recognized the magnitude of the issue.

“We’re dealing with 9,000 projects—and that’s just for flood control. That doesn’t even include roads, highways, and other infrastructure developments,” he said.