Escudero files bill empowering LGUs in infra project planning

Senator Francis Escudero is proposing the Grassroots Infrastructure Planning and Budgeting Act to empower Local Government Units (LGUs) in initiating infrastructure projects crucial for their localities.

The proposed measure mandates that all infrastructure projects must receive endorsements from the Regional Development Council (RDC) and either the Provincial Development Council (PDC) or City/Municipal Development Council, alongside their respective Sanggunian, before being included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Escudero emphasized that projects included in the NEP should only be those identified as necessary and high-priority by the respective provinces or towns.

He further stressed the importance of endorsements from LGUs for projects proposed by legislators as amendments to the budget.

This principle is intended to guide the proposal, inclusion, and funding of infrastructure projects in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and subsequent budgets.

The bill clearly states that prior endorsement from RDCs and/or local governing bodies is a mandatory condition for any infrastructure project's inclusion in the GAA and for the release of funds.