PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed that infrastructure projects with incomplete documentation be dropped from the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez said former DPWH secretary Vince Dizon had identified and removed 295 infrastructure projects worth P8.8 billion from the department’s proposed budget because of incomplete supporting documents.
The move was intended to prevent irregularities and ensure that government-funded projects are properly documented and can actually be implemented.
In a radio interview with Dizon and Communications Secretary Lino Cayetano, Lopez warned DPWH personnel against attempting to push through projects lacking the required paperwork.
The twin measures underscore the administration’s push for stricter accountability in public works — from ensuring that proposed projects meet documentation requirements before receiving appropriations — to requiring government engineers to regularly inspect infrastructure and correct defects that could put lives at risk.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 11, the DPWH directed all regional directors and district engineers to personally inspect infrastructure under their jurisdictions, ensure immediate corrective action, monitor ongoing projects and track the timely implementation of maintenance and other public works.
The directive requires officials to submit monthly inspection and status reports no later than the fifth day of the succeeding month.
Regional directors must consolidate and review the reports before submitting them to the concerned undersecretary for regional operations, with a copy furnished to the Office of the Secretary.
The DPWH also requires regional directors and district engineers to document their personal participation in inspections through geotagged and time-stamped photographs.
But the agency stressed that officials must not wait for the monthly reporting deadline to address problems requiring urgent intervention.
“Any identified defect or deficiency requiring immediate intervention shall be acted upon without delay, without waiting for the submission of the monthly report,” the memorandum stated.
Officials who fail to comply with the inspection and reporting requirements, or unjustifiably delay corrective action, face administrative or disciplinary action.
The directive is anchored on DPWH policies on the maintenance of national roads and bridges, as well as roadwork safety, traffic management and construction safety requirements.
The intensified monitoring comes amid the administration’s broader efforts to tighten scrutiny of infrastructure spending and prevent questionable or undocumented projects from receiving government funding.
The DPWH shared the memorandum on its social media pages under a headline in Filipino that said “sleeping-on-the-job regional directors and district engineers would be held accountable.”
