Gov’t picks Robredo for special projects
MANILA, Philippines — Even as Congress scrambles to complete its tasks during its ongoing special session, Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has been going around the country to check on infrastructure projects derailed by political wrangling in the legislature.
With the onset of the typhoon season, the DPWH building agenda will include the rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged by the Mindanao earthquake last June 8, as well as flood-control projects that were derailed by the bribery scandal involving legislators.
READ: Dizon tells Robredo infrastructure projects in Naga City will be finished
Dizon met with Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo on Saturday to inspect projects President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. committed during a visit in February, particularly under the administration’s Oplan Kontra Baha program.
The president also picked Naga City as the recipient of 300 modular shelter units under the national government’s expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.
Robredo thanked the national government for the Bayanihan Village units, which will provide immediate housing assistance to families affected by government clearing operations and disaster-related risks.
She described Dizon’s commitment to national government projects as “good news.”
The projects include the completed Naga Airport in Pili, Camarines Sur; the Almeda-Mabolo Bypass Road/Bridge by the first quarter of 2027; the dredging of Naga River, Sagop Creek, and opening and clearing of major waterways; and the asphalt overlay of General Luna Street and other major roads in Naga.
Also included were the refitting of the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum and the completion of the P400-million Center for Safety and Resilience in Naga City, which is also expected to receive funding from Sen. Joel Villanueva and SM City Naga.
Under Oplan Kotra Baha, the DPWH and local government units continue to clean, dredge, and desilt rivers, canals, and other waterways in Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, Naga, Cebu, Bacolod, Ilocos, and Maguindanao, to ensure that waterways are clear of debris before the onset of the rainy season.
Dizon earlier said the DPWH is also expected to tap experts from the Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards and the Quezon City local government to improve the design and implementation of the Matalahib Creek Pumping Station in Barangays Talayan and Sto. Domingo.
Report to Congress
The rehabilitation work in Mindanao and the Oplan Kontra Baha program are expected to be among the priorities that the president is expected to mention in his State of the Nation (Sona) address on July 27, particularly because Marcos featured corruption in infrastructure projects in his last Sona.
Dizon said he was one of the sources of the revelations in the 2025 Sona that also led to a Senate investigation that in turn led to a majority shift and reorganization in the chamber.
The Senate investigation derailed infrastructure projects amounting to P41.5 billion, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
In fact, infrastructure spending suffered a prolonged slump in overall disbursements despite the government’s P72.1-billion allotment.
Data from the DBM showed infrastructure and other capital outlays plunged 52 percent to P41.5 billion in April from P85.8 billion in the same month last year.
This marked the 10th straight month of decline following the eruption of the flood control corruption scandal last year.
“The contraction was attributed to the weak spending performance of the DPWH,” the DBM explained.
Robredo said she also met with National Electrification Administration (NEA) Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda on Saturday to discuss the proposed underground cabling project in the city.
She added that the collaboration of the DPWH and NEA is important in making the model for urban mobility “towards a safer and more resilient Naga.” /atm
