QUEZON CITY -- Stricter measures will be implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for various processes leading to several infrastructure projects in the country.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson told Luzon reporters Saturday, in an investigative journalism training, the agency has been trying to curb corruption in the department’s processes, from identification and planning to the actual construction of projects amid increasing controversies in the country particularly on the Priority Development Assistance Fund of legislators whose projects DPWH is implementing.
Singson said the agency has been implementing "right" projects: right cost, right quality, right on time and right people are the key intervention areas which he implemented over the past years.
The public works official stressed most people have the notion corruption happens only in the bidding process but revealed based on their findings as early as project programming and identification, legislators and local government officials already lobby for projects to their district engineers right after elections mostly in their political bailiwicks.
Singson said this was addressed with strict evaluation processes including referral of the public works project to the economic and developmental plans of the regions to verify if these are aligned with the economic needs and must undergo maintenance and construction works.
The Secretary, who is aiming for the full concreting of national roads by 2016, said they have also reduced bureaucracy in the bidding procedures by reducing documentary requirements of bidders, from the previous 20 to only 5 documents. The required letter of intent from bidders was also removed to reduce collusion among participants.
These strict rules in the bidding processes saved the government some P18.5 billion since the Aquino administration took over, he stressed.
On the quality of road projects, the official stressed they have also clustered projects into bigger contract packages to attract well-equipped and competent contractors as he explained poor quality of roads is a result of lack of equipment among contractors which often delays project implementation.
He said the agency has blacklisted several contractors with low quality turn out or stalled projects due to lack of equipment and capital funds. This he said would reduce abandoned road projects.
The DPWH has also embarked on a transformation program for their officials by implementing a promotional examination from assistant district engineers to regional officials as most engineers in the past have either been appointed to positions through lobbying with politicians in their areas.
While he highlighted the improvements in the agency, the DPWH official stressed several problems are still being addressed to prevent delays in project implementation and completion.
Among the causes of delay are road right of way problems, realignment of projects, defects in program of works, failed bidding and protests from losing bidders, peace and order situations in project sites and poor quality of roadwork from contractors.