MANILA, Philippines?A government agency that has been tagged as ?most corrupt? will soon be swimming with so much cash that it is holding workshops on how to spend it wisely?lest people suspect some of the money will end up in someone?s pocket.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started a series of workshops on how best to spend the P100,826,083,000 allotted to it under the General Appropriations Act of 2011.

The DPWH said in a statement that it had gotten the assurance of the Department of Budget and Management that it had the funds for the immediate completion of the government?s vital infrastructure projects.

Transformation program

?This series of workshops aims to change the culture, change the values and change the image of the department,? Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said at the start of a series of ?operations coordination meetings? among DPWH officials Thursday.

Singson was referring to the ?Transformation Program? he launched earlier this month with the aim of banishing corruption from the DPWH.

Singson warned DPWH field officials that he would not tolerate the lobbying efforts of some politicians and contractors.

Righteous way

?I personally assure you that I will defend you from abusive politicians and contractors if you are in the righteous way,? Singson said in Filipino.

A survey conducted by the polling outfit Pulse Asia in February 2009 showed that 32 percent of Filipinos viewed the DPWH as the ?most corrupt agency of the Philippine government.? No. 2 on that list was the Philippine National Police (21 percent), followed by the Department of Agriculture (19 percent).

For decades, the DPWH budget has been a source of corruption owing to misuse of the ?pork barrel? system by lawmakers, who have a say on which infrastructure projects should be prioritized and where.

?On the straight path?

In launching his ?Transformation Program? earlier this month, Singson said he wanted to minimize corruption in the DPWH ?so that moving forward up to the year 2012, the Department would be on the straight path and regain the trust of the people.?

Thursday?s meeting included lectures on improved system of planning, constructing and maintaining DPWH projects. It also included a workshop on improving personnel capability and competitive bidding process.

Among the participants were DPWH regional directors, district engineers and division chiefs from Metro Manila and the Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol regions.

3 R?s

Singson explained to the participants the details of his policy direction, which he dubbed ?Right project, right quality at the right cost.?

He said having the right project meant prioritizing allocation of funds for projects with ?national objectives,? such as national roads and bridges leading to major tourist destinations and to highly agriculture areas or those classified by the agriculture department as ?bagsakan centers,? where farm or marine produce are directly sold to buyers.

?Priority for 2011 would be the infrastructure projects under the GAA and I wanted it to be implemented and bid out properly according to specifications,? he said.

To improve the quality of work, Singson said the DPWH would adopt new construction methodology and equipment, such as road pavers.

The department will also formulate new guidelines for the effective conduct of project inspection, such as ?capability enhancement? for DPWH project inspectors and materials engineers.

Stricter bidding

To ensure that projects are implemented at the right cost, a stricter bidding process and more competitive bidding system will be implemented, Singson said.

He did not give specifics.

According to the GAA (Republic Act No. 10147) posted at the DBM website (http://www.dbm.gov.ph/GAA2011/DPWH/DPWH.pdf), DPWH has P68.2 billion for the construction or improvement of roads and bridges nationwide.

Among the biggest allocations are the P1.28 billion for the construction and improvement of C3 Road; P500 million for the construction and improvement of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Toll Expressway and P444 million for the concreting and opening of the Mindanao Avenue Extension in Caloocan and Valenzuela Cities.

Singson also told field officials he would no longer tolerate reblocking projects as it is one of the ?major? sources of corruption in the department.

Third biggest

?Instead of conducting reblocking activities, focus on the drainage improvement to assure flood-free roads and work on the entire rehabilitation of the damaged road section also to avoid simultaneous disruption of traffic,? he said.

Reblocking is a form of repair made on segments of a road that has deteriorated. The segment is usually torn down and replaced with concrete. This often leads to heavy traffic.

With its P100.8-billion budget, the DPWH has the third biggest outlay among government departments. The education department has P192 billion and the defense department P104 billion. Inquirer Research