The environmental cleanup of Boracay Island and the reconstruction of the war-torn Marawi City should be live streamed “so that work will be on time, on budget, and according to specifications,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said on Monday.
According to Recto, the rehabilitation of Marawi City and Boracay could be the two pilot areas of a new government project that will use drones, satellite imaging, and other cutting-edge technology that will monitor the progress of big-ticket infrastructure projects.
The program is dubbed as Project DIME, or Digital Imaging for Monitoring and Evaluation, a newly launched initiative in collaboration with the Departments of Budget and Management (DBM), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
In addition to drones and satellites, DOST said Project DIME would employ various technologies and expertise in data acquisition it had developed, including Light Detection and Ranging, Open Roads Platform, and Geotagging.
Recto said job-site cameras should be installed and real-time footage be made available to the public – if not, “a time-lapse video can be uploaded daily.”
‘Infrastructure war room’
Recto suggested that a direct communication link be installed in the Palace “so that the President, the nation’s builder-in-chief” would be able to monitor work in major infrastructure projects.
“The Office of the President can even convert one of Malacañang’s halls into an infrastructure ‘war room’, a command center of the Build, Build, Build program,” Recto said in a statement.
He said the war room could even be linked to CCTVs of transport hubs, like the Ninoy Aquino International Airport or the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority command center, so the President can monitor the traffic situation anytime.
“Raw live video is the best feedback. Why wait for Powerpoint presentations during Cabinet meetings when the President can go on a virtual inspection of projects from the comfort of his office?” Recto noted.
In the said “war room,” Recto said fund releases and bidding dates could also be displayed to prevent under-spending.
He added that the war room should also receive complaints from citizens.
“This is a benevolent-Big-Brother-is-watching management and diagnostic tool. Hindi pwede ang tamad at makupad kasi the builder-in-chief is watching,” he said. /kga