MANILA, Philippines — Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla and Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon agree that public-private partnerships (PPPs) are better when it comes to the construction of large-scale government infrastructure projects, citing concerns over delays and quality in some projects.
He cited the UP-PGH Cancer Center project, which was placed under PPP. Unfortunately, the P9-billion project failed to attract bidders.
“If you give that to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the outcome will be different,” Remulla said in Filipino on his radio program.
He also cited the Bureau of Immigration building, where more than P8 billion has been spent over a decade, and a Cebu flood control project where the proposed waterway width was reduced from 63 meters to 25 meters.
Remulla urged the National Bureau of Investigation to consider buying an existing private building instead of constructing a new headquarters.
“As I told (NBI Director) Melvin Matibag, don't push through with the construction of the NBI building; just buy an existing building instead,” he said.
"Compare the buildings currently up for sale with the ones we would build ourselves. The government cannot match that level of quality. They are affordable, and the buildings are excellent. You might as well just buy from the private sector. It’s essentially a PPP in reverse,” he added.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon agreed with Remulla.
“Until the internal systems and culture within the DPWH are thoroughly reformed, Public-Private Partnerships remain the far better option for large-scale, complex infrastructure like government buildings," Dizon said.
“I have always been a strong, consistent advocate of PPPs whenever they are viable. Through PPPs, we can guarantee timeliness, high quality, and cost efficiency—standards that the public deserves,” he added.
Citing the turtle-paced BI project, Dizon said he was angered by the delay it is facing.
“The design is so poorly executed that the driveway can barely accommodate normal-sized vehicles. This is unacceptable, and it highlights the exact structural problems," he said.
On the NBI project, Dizon said the “DPWH is more than willing to discontinue the current project so that the bureau can explore far better, more practical options for its headquarters."
Also cited was the proposed P10.74 billion Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services project, which seeks to modernize 11 international airports with artificial intelligence, biometrics, real-time data processing and other security technologies.
The project is structured to be financed entirely through user fees, with a guaranteed four-year technology refresh cycle to ensure that the system does not fall behind global standards.
