New transparency mechanisms introduced for DA, NIA

By Leonel Abasola, Philippine News Agency

(Photo courtesy of senate.gov.ph)

MANILA – New transparency mechanisms and digital governance initiatives have been introduced for the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to strengthen accountability in the agricultural and irrigation sectors, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Thursday.

In a statement, Pangilinan, who introduced the mechanisms, said the DA and the NIA will soon launch an infrastructure transparency dashboard where every farm-to-market road and bridge project can be verified against its budget and timeline.

“Mas madali nang makita ng tao kung saan napupunta ang pera nila (It will now be easy for the people to see where their taxes go to). That is evidence of good governance (and) transparency,” Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, said.

The DA, according to Pangilinan, will also launch a citizen participatory audit program of the Commission on Audit (COA) to give the public a role in real-time monitoring of projects.

Pangilinan said he welcomes efforts to strengthen internal audit mechanisms, expand public access to procurement and project data, and adopt digital tools aimed at reducing red tape and curbing irregularities in project implementation.

He said these underscore the importance of sustained transparency reforms to ensure that government programs deliver real, measurable benefits to farmers, fisherfolk and urban communities.