Amid the widening flood-control corruption scandal that has exposed billions allegedly lost to ghost or substandard infrastructure projects, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed Congress to fast-track four key reform measures aimed at restoring public trust and tightening accountability in government spending.
During a Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting in Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, the President instructed lawmakers to move with urgency on the Anti-Dynasty bill, the Independent People’s Commission Act bill, the Party-list System Reform Act bill, and the Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, which seeks to institutionalize full transparency in public finance.
The directive comes as public outrage intensifies over damning revelations of systemic corruption in infrastructure spending, particularly allegedly rigged flood-control projects, falsified documents, and irregular fund releases, prompting calls for deeper structural reforms and greater civilian oversight.
“In a LEDAC meeting this morning, the President also instructed both Houses to take a closer look at the four bills and prioritize the passage as soon as possible,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced.
The LEDAC meeting was attended by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, House Speaker Faustino Dy III, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, and other congressional leaders.
Castro added that LEDAC also finalized timelines for the passage of the 2026 General Appropriations Act, including its submission for the President’s signature, amid expectations of heightened scrutiny on budget items linked to infrastructure and calamity-related spending.