Senator Win Gatchalian has called on the Department of Economic Planning and Development (DepDev) to increase the approval of projects through regional development councils (RDCs), stressing that this would curb budget “insertions” and promote a more orderly budget process.

RDCs evaluate proposals to ensure alignment with the country’s development goals before they are elevated for inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP), the executive branch’s annual spending plan.

Gatchalian warned against bypassing this system, saying some projects are being inserted directly into the General Appropriations Act (GAA) without going through the proper channels. “The problem arises when projects lack feasibility studies and detailed engineering designs,” he said.

He added that raising the share of RDC-approved projects in the NEP would encourage local government units to strictly follow the process. Currently, only about a third of projects in the NEP come from RDC endorsements, according to DepDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.