MANILA, Philippines – Ikinasa ni Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III ang panukalang Senate Bill No. 1835 o mas kikilalanin bilang An Act Reorganizing the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Rationalizing the Powers and Functions of the Central, Regional, and District Offices, upang palakasin ang “transparency, efficiency, and accountability in public infrastructure governance.”
Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Sotto na resulta ang panukala ng ilang serye ng imbestigasyon sa flood control projects kaya nakasuhan ang ilang personalidad kabilang ang ilang senador, kongresista at pribadong indibiduwal.
Ayon kay Sotto, nagsisilbi ang public infrastructure sa pag-unlad ng bansa dahil nakakalikha ito ng hanapbhay at natutugunan ang pangunahing pangangailangan sa mas ligtas na lansangan, flood control system at iba pang kritikal na pagawaing-bayan.
“As one of the departments receiving the largest budget allocations, Filipinos rightfully expect that every peso entrusted to the DPWH translates into safe, resilient, and responsive infrastructure,” ayon kay Sotto.
Muling pinag-aralan ng panukala ang mandato, kapangyarihan, organizational structure at operational framework ng DPWH kabilang ang tungkulin ang bawat undersecretaries at assistant secretaries.
“It is imperative to revisit the organization of DPWH to identify where the gaps are and where opportunities for corruption may lie,” ani Sotto.
“Through a rationalization of this department and its regional and district offices, we can ensure that corruption will no longer seep into its walls,” giit niya.
Nakatakda sa panukala ang pag-rereorganisa sa Department Proper alinsunod sa pangunahing infrastructure projects sa ilalim nito upang magkaroon ng decentralization ng preparasyon at implementasyon ng proyekto at mabawasan ang opurtunidad para sa iregularidad at pagkakaantala.
“One of the new introductions under this will is the Infrastructure Maintenance Services Unit which will be responsible for inspecting, monitoring, and evaluating completed projects and maintaining a centralized and publicly accessible infrastructure database to enhance transparency and allow citizens to track DPWH projects,” ayon sa panukala.
Nakalagay din sa panukala ang isang probisyon na nagsasabing: “Regional offices will assume key functions previously handled at the district level, including project identification and bidding processes.”
“District offices will focus on supervision, monitoring, and recommendatory functions to strengthen oversight on the ground,” giit ng panukala ni Sotto.
Ayon pa sa panukala: “An Infrastructure Inspectorate Team shall also be created where no disbursement of payment shall be allowed, and said inspections will be streamed live in the official channels for transparency.”
“This measure is about restoring public trust by rationalizing functions, strengthening monitoring mechanisms, and institutionalizing transparency to ensure that the people’s taxes are spent efficiently, honestly, and for the public good,” giit ni Sotto. Ernie Reyes
