THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is ready to submit a list of all flood control projects completed in the past three years under the Marcos administration amid the President’s call to weed out ghost projects.
DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan made the remarks in an interview following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s. call in his state of the nation address (SONA) to audit all flood control projects completed in the last three years.
Bonoan assured the public that he takes the President’s directive seriously, especially since public safety is at stake.
“We are approaching this matter with utmost seriousness. I believe it is essential for us to be transparent this time, ensuring that both the impact and design are distinctly evident,” Bonoan said.
MEANWHILE, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said Tuesday the Regional Development Council would begin crafting the protocol for the review of flood control projects.
This is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s recent directive that the Regional Project Monitoring Committee should conduct a review of flood control projects and determine
“Napakinggan namin yung direktiba ng Pangulo kahapon. Yung Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC) is actually a committee under the Regional Development Council. So this group is really composed of regional line agencies, selected agencies, and also includes the private sector—there are private sector representatives in the RPMC,” said Edillon during the post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) conference in San Juan City.
The RDC is the highest policy-making body in the region and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA Board at the subnational level. that failed, unfinished or suspected to be ghost projects.
It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region.
Edillon said while waiting for a list from the DPWH, the RDC would start crafting the protocol for the audit.
The protocol will include the means of verification, parameters, and the possible consultation with engineers, she said, ensuring that the review will be objective.
“We will promptly report this to the RDC and to the President,” she added.
The DPWH chief expressed his gratitude towards the President for prioritizing flood control, noting that the challenges confronting the government are continually increasing.
“All our project monitoring within the department is now computerized, making it straightforward to extract data from each district or region, including the category, cost, and current status. We can present this information to the president,” he said.
“When we assumed office here in the President’s administration…we really realized that our need to address flood control here in our country is dire. We did not inherit a bed of roses. Over time, more needs to be done for flood control projects,” Bonoan said in Filipino.
The public works chief acknowledged that while some flood control initiatives are thoughtfully designed and planned, the financial resources set aside for preparing these projects are often cut down to the bare essentials.
Despite these constraints, Bonoan said that they made every effort to maximize the impact of the limited budget available.
Furthermore, he revealed that there are instances where certain projects are added to the agenda even after the General Appropriations Act has been finalized.
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