SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson is seeking to include safeguards to ensure that a bill aiming to accelerate the construction of classrooms and school buildings does not result in conflicts of interest—or worse, create another “Napoles” situation.

Lacson emphasized that while he fully supports the initiative to fast-track school infrastructure, issues remain regarding the extent of participation of non-government organizations and civil society groups.

“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—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 during his interpellation of Senate Bill 1482 authored by Sen. Bam Aquino.

He noted that under the Government Procurement Act of 2024, NGO participation is limited, allowing procuring entities to partner with NGOs only when an appropriation law or ordinance specifically earmarks funds for them.

He added that RA 12009 further restricts the role of CSOs and people’s organizations to being observers throughout the procurement process to avoid conflicts of interest.

“There goes the problem. Kasi kung i-involve natin ang CSOs sa construction ng building, one way or another, indirectly or directly, at na-interchange ang definition ng NGO and CSO, baka ma-Napoles tayo dito. How do we resolve this issue?” he asked.

Lacson was referring to the pork barrel scam involving trader Janet Lim-Napoles, who in the 2010s used a network of fake NGOs to siphon billions in public funds.

Lacson also sought clarification on the remaining ₱54.883 billion under the ₱91.279-billion Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF) from 2022 to 2025, noting that only ₱36 billion had been spent for 7,172 completed and 4,962 ongoing classrooms during that period.

The BEFF covers the construction, repair, and rehabilitation of school buildings, as well as fixtures and utilities such as water and electrical systems.

In response, Aquino explained that only the DPWH was authorized to build classrooms from 2022 to 2025—which is why his bill seeks to remove this responsibility from the DPWH.