The Palace on Monday said that an “Infra Comm” or committee tasked with monitoring the construction of and evaluating infrastructure project results has been formed to ensure the responsible use of public funds.

“Ngayon ay mayroon po tayong ad hoc subcommittee on project implementation and results monitoring the infrastructures,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced during a press briefing at Malacañang.

Castro recalled that withholding funds for public expenditures also inhibited the country’s economy.

However, the Marcos administration deemed it best to limit allocations to curb further corruption, she said.

“Nagkaroon ito ng epekto sa economic growth ng ating bansa dahil ‘yung public spending natin noong nakaraang taon ay napigilan or hindi umalagwa dahil nga mas minabuti na protektahan ang pondo kesa mapunta sa mga walang basehang mga proyekto,” she told reporters.

The Palace official, however, assured that the administration has once again ramped up its efforts and spending on infrastructure.

“Kaya ngayon po ay puspusan ang pamahalaan sa pamumuno na rin po ng DBM (Department of Budget and Management), ni Secretary Kim De Leon, na dapat na magkaroon ng public spending at ang nangunguna po dito ay patungkol sa imprastraktura,” she said.

Castro said that the aforementioned subcommittee has been tasked to address the issue and ensure responsible contractors are awarded the projects.