Krusada: Road Rehabilitation and DPWH

By Nathalie Blanco, Multimedia Producer, Krusada

Posted at 05/!/"0" #:$ PM % &'dated as o( 05/)/"0" :*" +M
Broadcast journalist Henry Omaga-Diaz looked into the alleged anomalous road rehabilitation projects in Metro
Manila and nearby provinces of the Department of Public orks and High!ays "DPH#$
DPWH is o(ten accused o( buildin,
roads that are substandard and
structurally -ea./ 0n e((ect, road
accidents due to bad road
conditions (rom 1anuary to
2e'tember last year soared to
,** cases/
+ccordin, to the Phili''ine National Police 3PNP4 Hi,h-ay Patrol 5rou', ,06" incidents (rom the total count -as
caused by substandard roads/
But -hy do -e ha7e 'oor89uality roads in the (irst 'lace: +re the 'eo'le;s ta<es insu((icient to build 9uality road
in(rastructures:
0n this e'isode o( Krusada, Henry =ma,a8Dia> loo.ed into the alle,ed anomalous road rehabilitation 'ro?ects in
Metro Manila and nearby 'ro7inces o( the De'artment o( Public Wor.s and Hi,h-ays 3DPWH4/
@Ahese roads are (unded by 'eo'le;s ta<es, not by a 'olitician;s/ 0( the ,o7ernment -ants to ,et rid o( corru'tion, it
should 'ush (or trans'arency and accountability in carryin, out these 'ro?ects,B Henry said/
Road problems in Quezon
Henry tra7elled the streets o( Manila to Cucena and 2an +ndres, Due>on to,ether -ith +lberto Baron, a bus dri7er
and concerned citi>en -ho has been on the ?ob (or (our decades no-/
+lberto or @Aata BertB said that tra((ic in Cucena, es'ecially durin, the rainy season, can be so hea7y they could slee'
-hile -aitin, (or it to ease/
DPWH yearly road repairs raise questions on the quality of road
projects and possible government corruption.
Photo by Nathalie Blanco
Aata Bert dri7es *00 .ilometres bac. and (orth e7eryday/ Because he has been dri7in, since )6$, he has -itnessed
all the chan,es done to the roads/
@Ao be (air, it has chan,ed a lot because here at Mount Peninsula, roads ha7e already been cemented/ But bet-een
2an +ndres and 2an Narciso, there;s still more or less nine .ilometres o( rou,h roads,B he said/
Ao ans-er, Due>on Pro7ince District En,ineer Ro,elio Re?ano said that cementin, the nine8.ilometer stretch is yet to
be (unded/
But the 'roblem did not end a(ter roads ha7e been 'a7ed/ Ahe len,th and 9uality o( road 'ro?ects is no- in 9uestion/
@2ome roads crac./ We thin. it;s because o( -hat -e call 9uic.sand/ E7en i( they use cement, it -ill still sin. in less
than a yearB, he added/
Residents o( 2an +ndres, Due>on assert that it is all ri,ht (or them to be 'atient as lon, as rehabilitation 'ro?ects
-ould truly (i< their roads/ But they also stress that (or so lon,, DPWH -ould constantly re'air the su''osedly
'atched8u' roads e7ery year/
Corruption in DPWH?
@Ahe country;s road 'roblems are caused by the corru'tion in the ,o7ernmentB, said &ni7ersity o( the Phili''ines
Pro(essor Ceonor Briones, e<'ert in Public +dministration and 5o7ernance/
0n a sur7ey conducted by Pulse +sia, DPWH has been dubbed as third o( the most corru't o((ices in the ,o7ernment/
@First, the 'ro?ects are bi,/ 2econd, it;s easy (or the contractor and the a,ency to ha7e collusion due to the len,th o(
'rocess/ 0n buyin, materials, it can be o7er'riced/ +lso, 'ro?ects can be e<tended so the cost could increase,B
Briones added/
=ther ma?or contro7ersies in7ol7in, DPWH in corru'tion are alle,edly misusin, the road maintenance (ee collected
directly by the Cand Arans'ortation =((ice 3CA=4 (rom the Motor Gehicle &ser;s Hhar,e 3MG&H4 and allo-in,
com'anies blac.listed by the World Ban. in "00) to bid in ,o7ernment 'ro?ects once more/
DPWH 2ecretary Re,elio 2in,son did not deny allo-in, blac.listed com'anies but em'hasi>es that World Ban.
blac.listed the said com'anies (rom World Ban. 'ro?ects, not DPWH 'ro?ects/
0n the issue o( corru'tion, 2in,son a((irmed that they are underta.in, measures to 'ro'erly ser7e the 'ublic: 'ro'er
'ro?ect selection, ensurin, the correct 'rices and re7ie-in, the 9uality o( 'ro?ects done/
Mean-hile, ,rou's such as the Hoalition a,ainst Horru'tion 3H+H4 said they a''reciate the e((orts made by DPWH,
es'ecially in terms o( trans'arency/
@1ust loo. at the -ebsite o( DPWH/ Iou -ill see all the in(ormation about the 'ro?ects, includin, itsstatus/ Iou can
see the de7elo'ments and brea. do-n 'er re,ion/ Ahey didn;t ha7e that be(ore but no- they doB, said Ed-ard
5acusana o( H+H/