Metro Manila, Philippines – A new regional price guide for construction materials in public works projects would address overpricing and result in savings of up to P60 billion in next year’s budget, while still maintaining structural quality, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday, Nov. 3.
In a press briefing, Dizon presented an updated construction material price list in line with the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to cut costs and prevent corruption in flood control projects, among others.
Marcos earlier directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to reduce materials cost by “as much as 50 percent, which will result in savings in the capital outlay spending of at least P30 to P45 billion pesos.”
Dizon said he had approved the price guide for asphalt and hot mix, steel sheet pile, gravel (grade 1), sand, reinforcing steel bar (grade 60 and 40), cement, and ready mix concrete, adding that prices vary per location.For asphalt in Mimaropa, for example – where non-existent and substandard projects were flagged – the pricing was substantially cut by over 74% from P23,650 per metric ton to P5,937.Asphalt prices in seven regions, namely, Metro Manila, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Bicol, Central Luzon, and Soccsksargen, were cut by more than half.Another notable decrease was the per cubic meter price of sand in Metro Manila from P1,314 to P450, and in Caraga from P1,406 to P506.In Mimaropa and Caraga, gravel (grade 1) costs were reduced by 57 and 62 percent, respectively.’ ‘8’: ‘contentWidth’: ‘fit-content’ ’embedCode’: ‘