Marcos to DPWH: Slash construction material costs by 50%

MANILA, Philippines — With some construction materials for infrastructure projects obviously overpriced, President Marcos ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday to reduce the standard cost for these items by as much as 50 percent to ensure public funds are properly spent.

Marcos gave the order in a speech before leaving for Malaysia for the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related summits from Oct. 26 to 28 in Kuala Lumpur.

The DPWH, the President said, continues to review projects and contracts and file cases against those involved in supposed multibillion-peso corruption within the agency, particularly involving flood control projects.

Marcos noted that the DPWH found several items such as asphalt, steel bars and cement overpriced by as much as 50 percent.

“Actually, there are some egregious examples which (are) even more than that,” the President said in his departure speech at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay.

“In order to ensure that the costs of DPWH will reflect the costs of the market and to ensure that the people’s money is correctly spent, I have directed the DPWH secretary to bring down the cost of materials by as much as 50 percent,” Marcos said.

This move, he said, will result in savings in the agency’s capital outlay spending of at least P30 to P45 billion.

“This is money that we can use for services such as health, education and food that our people desperately need,” the Chief Executive said.

Marcos first denounced the multibillion-peso corruption in the government’s flood control project during his fourth State of the Nation Address last July 28 where he lambasted corrupt officials as shameless.

He later created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to probe the allegations that dragged some senators and congressmen into the corruption scandal.

No substandard projects

In an ambush interview in Pasay City yesterday, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon gave assurance that lowering the prices of construction materials would not result in substandard projects.

He said addressing overpriced construction materials is one of the reforms the agency needs to implement.

“I think this directive of the President to bring down the price of some materials up to 50 percent for roads, bridges, classrooms, health centers and other projects of the DPWH…will be the single biggest reform ever in the DPWH,” Dizon said.

He believes lowering the prices of materials could also be implemented in other government agencies, not just the DPWH.

“That’s the most important thing (lower the price of materials) because if we can reduce that, we automatically reduce corruption,” he said in Filipino.

‘Person of interest’

On substandard projects, Dizon said “it’s not because of the price, it happened because of some crooked people from the DPWH who colluded with whoever.”

Apart from corrupt DPWH officials and contractors, Dizon said politicians who allegedly profited from anomalous flood control projects will also land in jail.

Dizon pointed out the statement of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, who described Benguet Rep. Eric Yap as a person of interest behind a construction company involved in anomalous flood control projects in La Union.

The DPWH chief said Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong identified Yap as the owner of the construction firm responsible for a substandard infrastructure project.

“We’ll get there, but first we must prosecute those in the DPWH,” he stressed. — Emmanuel Tupas