Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, has put forward a legislative proposal designed to create a stable, long-term blueprint for the nation's infrastructure development. The proposed measure, known as Senate Bill No. 1652 or the Master Plan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Act, seeks to institutionalize a 30-year planning horizon to prevent disruptive changes in priority projects whenever political leadership changes.
Anchoring Development in Law
The core of the bill is the creation of a 30-year Comprehensive Infrastructure Development Master Plan (CIDMP). Senator Gatchalian emphasized that by legislating this master plan, its core priorities would be protected from the frequent shifts that can occur with changes in administration. "When the master plan is anchored in law, it cannot be easily changed, and important infrastructure projects can continue even as those in power change," Gatchalian explained.
The proposed law mandates that this long-term CIDMP be integrated into the government's main planning and budgeting cycles. This means it would directly inform the Philippine Development Plan and, crucially, the annual General Appropriations Act. This integration is intended to align multi-decade national goals with the yearly budget decisions made by Congress.
Structures and Sectors Covered
To oversee the ambitious plan, the bill proposes the establishment of the Master Plan for Infrastructure and National Development Council. This high-level body would be chaired by the President and include the heads of key infrastructure agencies, ensuring coordination and accountability in both the preparation and monitoring of the CIDMP.
The scope of the master plan is comprehensive, covering multiple critical sectors of the economy:
- Transportation
- Energy
- Water resources
- Information and communications technology
- Social infrastructure, including housing, health, and education facilities
The plan also explicitly includes agri-fisheries modernization and the preservation of existing government assets.
Maximizing Public Investment
A key driver behind the proposal is the desire to maximize the impact of public spending on infrastructure. The legislation comes at a time when national infrastructure allocations have seen significant growth. Citing data from the Department of Budget and Management, infrastructure spending grew at an average annual rate of 7.9 percent from 2022 to 2025.
By providing a stable, rules-based framework for these investments, the MIND Act aims to ensure that this increased funding translates into completed, high-impact projects that survive political transitions. The bill, filed on January 15, 2026, represents a significant step toward changing how the Philippines plans and executes its long-term infrastructure future.
