​SEN. Francis Escudero will lead Senate hearings on a bill seeking to disqualify relatives of public officials from entering into government contracts. ​The chamber approved Escudero’s designation during Monday’s plenary session. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the move was made at the request of Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, chairman of the Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation. ​The proposal, Senate Bill (SB) 783, was referred to Escudero’s subcommittee, signaling the Senate leadership’s intent to prioritize the measure as part of broader efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability in public procurement. ​Escudero is the principal author of SB 783, which seeks to prohibit public officials and their relatives up to the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity from participating, directly or indirectly, in government contracts. ​The measure is co-authored by Senators Bong Go and Joel Villanueva. ​”This subcommittee will ensure that integrity in public service is not only discussed but institutionalized,” Escudero said in filing the bill on Aug. 4, 2025. ​”By disqualifying relatives of officials from government contracts, we close the loopholes that allow undue influence and strengthen the country’s procurement safeguards as part of our continuing efforts to fight graft and corruption,” he added. ​Under current procurement laws, public officials are barred from directly participating in government contracts, but critics note that gaps remain regarding relatives or associates who may benefit from insider access or influence. ​If enacted, SB 783 would complement existing anti-graft statutes by explicitly expanding disqualification rules and imposing stricter conflict-of-interest standards across government agencies.