MANILA—Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson called for safeguards in Senate Bill 1482, which aims to accelerate the construction of classrooms and school buildings, to prevent conflicts of interest and avoid a repeat of the Napoles pork barrel scam.

Lacson, speaking during interpellations on the bill authored by Senator Bam Aquino, said while he supports efforts to expedite school infrastructure, the participation of non-government organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) raises potential risks.

“If we involve NGOs and they will actively participate in bidding, monitoring, etc., (there is the) conflict of interest. Probably (we can include a) caveat, that provided they will not monitor themselves. At the proper time maybe we can use the proper language to clarify that particular issue. But I have no objection to allowing NGOs to be active partners in the school building program of the government,” he said.

Lacson pointed to the Government Procurement Act of 2024 (RA 12009), which permits NGOs to engage with the government only when funds are specifically earmarked for them, while limiting the role of CSOs as observers to avoid conflicts of interest.

“There goes the problem. Kasi kung i-involve natin ang CSOs sa construction ng building, one way or another, directly or indirectly, at na-interchange ang definition ng NGO and CSO, baka ma-Napoles tayo dito. How do we resolve this issue?” Lacson said, referencing the 2010s pork barrel scam in which Janet Lim-Napoles used fake NGOs to siphon billions of pesos in public funds.

Lacson also sought clarification on the P54.883 billion remaining from the P91.279-billion Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF) for 2022 to 2025, noting that only P36 billion had been spent to complete 7,172 classrooms and continue work on 4,962 others. The BEFF covers construction, repair, and rehabilitation of school buildings as well as related utilities.

In response, Aquino explained that only the DPWH handled classroom construction from 2022 to 2025, which is why his bill seeks to allow LGUs and participating NGOs to take on the task. He also noted that while the DPWH’s standard cost per classroom is P3.5 million, LGUs could construct them for P1.5 million to P2 million each, and CSOs for P800,000 to P1.3 million.

Aquino said the remaining funds for 2025 can be realigned and committed to checking the status of funds from 2022 to 2024.