Big-ticket project scrutiny faster, stricter

The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) has issued updated guidelines for the evaluation and approval of major government programs and projects (PAPs) by the interagency Investment Coordination Committee (ICC), streamlining procedures while strengthening the rigor of review and monitoring.

- BEN ARNOLD DE VERA

"The changes in the guidelines are intended to further streamline our processes, while ensuring a more robust review and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of projects," DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, who co-chairs the Cabinet-level ICC, told Manila Bulletin last Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Earlier, the Economy and Development (ED) Council-the highest approving body for government investments chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.- adopted revised procedures governing projects that require the council's or the ICC's action.

These updated guidelines apply to both new and ongoing PAPs, whether locally funded or foreign-assisted. The ICC, co-chaired by DEPDev and the Department of Finance (DOF), remains the main interagency body that vets the technical, financial, and policy aspects of investment proposals, according to documents seen by Manila Bulletin.