A GREEN lane system for contractors could be established by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to speed up the approval process for critical infrastructure projects, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said.
Speaking at a Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) meeting on Monday, Dizon noted that the Board of Investments (BOI) already had its Green Lane program, which streamlines the process for strategic and high-impact ventures.
“Under the BOI’s agreements, they have green lanes for investors and companies who qualify based on a certain criteria,” he said. “There’s no reason why we can’t do that in the DPWH.”
PCCI President Ferdinand Ferrer said the business group would help establish the green lane system for the DPWH, which also aims to address the massive corruption that has plagued government infrastructure projects.
He told reporters that during a meeting with Dizon, they called for a resumption of “infrastructure projects because we saw what happened when they (the government) stopped it, our GDP (gross domestic product) went down.
“We discussed how to come up with criteria to get contractors to start or work again with DPWH. We’re gonna do the green lane for legit contractors with the DPWH,” Ferrer said.
“We’ll also work with BOI and PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority) so we can help DPWH establish a faster green lane. We want to set it up after three months.”
The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board will also be tapped to ensure that only credible contractors can participate in government projects.
A meeting has also been scheduled on March 5 with Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan regarding private sector participation in policy formulation and project approvals to ensure accountability, Ferrer said.
The PCCI chief also said that more organizations would be signing up for the Integrity Chain initiative, the online portal for which was launched by the DPWH last week.
A memorandum of cooperation will be signed by the PCCI, DPWH, the Mayors for Good Governance and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Feb. 23, he said.
“The purpose of the signing is we want to make sure that the private sector ... partners with the government to regain and build confidence again for our foreign investors,” Ferrer added.
The Integrity Chain Portal uses blockchain technology to record projects from procurement to completion, making the process traceable, auditable and accessible.
FROM A REPORT BY CHYNNA GRACE ONG
