THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is amenable to the proposal of Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto to live-stream the rehabilitation efforts in Marawi and Boracay Island.
DWPH Secretary Mark Villar said such suggestion would promote transparency in the government.
"We are in favor of any transparency," he said in a press briefing with Palace reporters, when sought for reaction on the senator's recommendation.
In a statement released earlier Monday, Recto sought the live-streaming of environmental cleanup of Boracay and the restoration of strife-torn Boracay to ensure that "work will be on time, on budget, and according to specifications."
Recto also proposed the installation of job-site cameras that would equip the public with a "real-time" or a "time-lapse" footage of the government's rehabilitation efforts in the two areas.
The government has began the rebuilding of Marawi, following the end of of the lengthy battle between Islamic State-linked extremists and government troops in October 2017. The five-month-long war, which emerged on May 23, 2017, has resulted in the massive destruction of the buildings in the war-torn city.
Boracay Island, on the other hand, has been placed under six-motnh closure starting April 26, following the environmental problems besetting the popular beach destination.
Villar said the Public Works department's use of drones and geotags would be vital in monitoring the government's infrastructure projects and averting potential corrupt activities.
"We'll be utilizing drone technology and geotagging for project monitoring," he said.
"So there will be no more faking of photo [of infrastructure projects]. This is geotagged, which would be uploded to the software of the department. By instituting systems and software, we can prevent corruption in the government," Villar added.
Using drones and geotagging to monitor infrastructure projects are in line with the implementation of the DPWH's Project and Contract Management Procedures Application that aims to weed out ghost projects. (SunStar Philippines)