For lack of pork funds, DPWH shelves small infrastructure projects

MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has suspended more than 550 small-scale infrastructure projects nationwide worth P730.44 million after the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel of members of Congress was deemed illegal.

The projects, however, would be resumed “as soon as the DPWH secures funding from other government budgetary sources,” according to Reynaldo Tagudando, director of the DPWH’s National Capital Region (NCR) office.

But Tagudando said the Department of Budget and Management and the DPWH had “agreed to issue payments to contractors whose PDAF projects were either partially or already completed.”

“The DPWH will validate the claims of contractors who have been expecting payment for their completed work,” he told the Inquirer over the weekend.

Landmark ruling

In a landmark ruling late last year, the Supreme Court declared the PDAF and all congressional provisions covering the use of pork barrel funds “in violation of the Constitution.” It ruled the PDAF funds should be returned to the national treasury.

In a report posted on the agency’s website, the NCR or Metro Manila placed eighth on the DPWH’s list of PDAF project beneficiaries, with a total of 26 projects.

The NCR got the biggest budget allocation with nearly P110 million. Next came southern Tagalog with P93.3 million, followed by Caraga with P91.3 million; Bicol, P71.9 million; western Mindanao, P71.5 million; Western Visayas, P56.7 million; Eastern Visayas, P53.7 million; Northern Mindanao, P51.5 million; CAR, P34.3 million; Cagayan Valley, P31 million; Soccsksargen, P27.8 million; Central Luzon, P15 million; Ilocos, P9.6 million; Mimaropa, P5.1 million; Davao, P5 million; and Central Visayas, P2.75 million.

Status updates

The report did not identify the projects’ legislator-sponsors but gave an update on the status of the projects, many of which had only been partially completed.

In Metro Manila, only two of the 26 projects had been completed. They were the construction of a school building at the Industrial Valley Complex in Marikina City and the repair of a multipurpose building in Barangay 70, Pasay City.

With budget allocations of P5 million and P750,000, respectively, they were completed early this year by their contractors, EA Ramirez Construction and Redcar Trading and Construction.

At least seven of the NCR projects were bagged by the same contractor, Framecon Builders. Another contractor, Blackram Builders, won the contracts for three other projects.

Sixteen of the projects involved the construction of multipurpose buildings, with costs ranging from P200,000 to P20 million.

University building

The partially completed PDAF projects in the region included the following:

— A multipurpose building at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, with a budget of P20 million, which is 75-percent completed. Its contractor is Three W Builders.

— The Makati-Pateros River bank improvement in Makati City, with a P10-million budget and handled by Framecon Builders, which is 60-percent completed.

— A road repair project in Talong Cinco, Las Piñas City, with a budget of P1.2 million, which is only 15-percent complete. MRJR Construction and Trading is the project contractor.

— The repair of the Philippine Army Officers Quarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, with a budget of P10 million and handled by CS Garcia Construction, which is only 27-percent completed.

— The construction of a multipurpose building in Barangay 870, Pandacan, Manila, with a budget of P300,000 and handled by MV Caldo Engineering Construction and Supplies, which is 70-percent completed.