Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 15) — A third of the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for next year goes not to the construction of new infrastructure but to the maintenance of existing ones, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano pointed out Tuesday.
During Senate deliberations on the proposed ₱737.3-billion budget for the DPWH, Cayetano said all funds for maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation total more than ₱200 billion.
“So this is not a Build, Better, More budget, this is a maintenance budget,” Cayetano said.
“Is there something wrong with the kind of public works that we do?… Ibig sabihin either hindi maganda yung pagkagawa o napakaluma na?” he added.
Senate committee on finance chairman Sonny Angara said DPWH officials told him they are “trying to catch up” with the agency’s asset preservation program. But Cayetano stressed that more funds are needed for new projects, including farm-to-market roads.
He added that the DPWH should inform President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that a huge chunk of its budget is allotted for the repair, maintenance, and rehabilitation of past projects.
“Because umaasa siya na Build, Better, More ito, e [Because he’s expecting this is Build, Better, More],” he said.
The budget originates from the National Expenditure Program submitted by the executive. The House of Representatives approved ₱737.3 billion for the agency, an amount the Senate committee on finance retained.
