Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill seeking to institutionalize a 30-year infrastructure development roadmap aimed at maximizing returns on public investments and preventing the insertion of redundant or low-impact projects into the national budget.

Gatchalian on Thursday filed Senate Bill (SB) 1652, or the proposed Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Act, which mandates the formulation of a long-term, comprehensive infrastructure masterplan that will be anchored in law and integrated into the government’s planning, programming, and budgeting processes.

Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the measure is intended to “lock in” the country’s development goals while “locking out” political interference, particularly as infrastructure spending continues to grow.

“We need to lock in the country’s development goal and lock out political interference. With infrastructure taking a bigger piece of the budgetary pie, we need to ensure that every peso is spent on projects that truly benefit ordinary Filipinos,” Gatchalian said.

Citing data from the Department of Budget and Management, the senator noted that from 2022 to 2025, budget allocations for national infrastructure projects grew by an average of 7.9 percent annually.

Under the proposed law, major infrastructure projects would be protected from abrupt changes caused by political transitions, ensuring continuity even with changes in administration.

“Kapag ang masterplan ay naka angkla sa batas, hindi ito madaling palitan at maipagpapatuloy ang mga importanteng imprastraktura kahit na magpalit-palit pa ang mga nasa pwesto,” Gatchalian said.

The bill also seeks to establish the MIND Council, which will oversee the formulation and monitoring of the infrastructure master plan. The council will be chaired by the President of the Philippines, with the Secretary of Economy, Planning, and Development serving as vice chair. It will include secretaries of key infrastructure-related agencies.

In his bill’s explanatory note, Gatchalian said the masterplan will cover a wide range of infrastructure subsectors, including land, air, and sea transportation and logistics; energy; water; information and communications technology; social infrastructure such as housing, health, and education; agri-fisheries modernization and food logistics; as well as asset preservation and maintenance strategies.

He noted the proposed measure responds to long-standing challenges in infrastructure development, including fragmented planning, policy discontinuity, and inefficient spending.

“As infrastructure spending grows, proper long-term planning is required to ensure maximum return on investment and to prevent the insertion of projects that do not deliver meaningful impact,” Gatchalian said.

The senator expressed hope that the passage of the MIND Act would strengthen coordination across government agencies, streamline public and private infrastructure investments, and help propel the Philippines toward sustained economic growth.