Jajurie, Nur-Ranji Collado CE 257 HZZQ

2012-53949 22 September 2020

The National Road Lighting Program

The National Road Lighting Program (NRLP) 1 was created by the defunct Road Board in
2012. The program aimed to upgrade the streetlamps throughout national roads in the country
from high pressure sodium lamps to LED ones. With NRLP, the Road Board sought to address
the widespread issues regarding the road condition and safety of the national roads in the country
with an assurance to raise the status of our national roads to international standards.

Established through Republic Act No. 8794 in June 2020, the Road Board 2 in an inter-
agency body which manages the motor vehicle user’s charge (MVUC), also known as “road
user’s tax” which can only be used for the maintenance of national, city, and provincial roads;
and for programs that ensure road safety and pollution control.

And with a total budget of Php 3.97 billion, the Road Board selected regions for the
implementation of the NLRP. The scope of the program involved: (1) removal of existing
pavement, curb, gutter, and asphalt, (2) construction of new pavement (PCCP), curb and gutter
and sidewalk, (3) installation of lamp post, and (4) installation of conduits, wires, and panel
boards. It was expected that there will be improvement on road visibility along the locations
were the program will be implemented, thereby minimizing road related accidents and enhance
security upon the completion of the NLRP. However, no baseline data has been collected nor an
impact evaluation system put in place for the project, hence it was difficult to assess the
program’s impact on road safety.

Based on an interview3, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

provincial offices were only involved in the implementation of the NRLP but were not, in any
way, involved with project identification and project scoping. Moreover, the Road Board,
through its secretariat, was solely responsible for the procurement and installation of the
luminaires or electric light units.

1
Philippine Daily Inquirer. “Road Board Lighting Program”. 04 May 2012. Web. Retrieved at
https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer-1109/20120504/282999691850815
2
Philippine Daily Inquirer. “IN THE KNOW: Road Board”. 18 December 2018. Web. Retrieved at
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1064069/in-the-know-road-board
3
Napalang, Sheilah, et al. “Results of the Assessment of the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge Utilization in the Philippines”. 2018.
Web. Retrieved at https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/PUBLICATIONS/pidsrp1801.pdf
Jajurie, Nur-Ranji Collado CE 257 HZZQ
2012-53949 22 September 2020

On its annual audit report4 for 2017, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the Road
Board for its inefficiency in its project implementation of the NRLP. COA concluded that the
Road Board has not fully achieved its objective of providing modern lighting for the country’s
national roads because of poor planning, inadequate guidelines, and insufficient monitoring and
supervision schemes employed. This report was based on the following observations:

1. The National Road Lighting Project was carried out by the Road Board Secretariat, which
does not have the technical capability nor was mandated under RA 8794 to implement
infrastructure projects.
2. The projects were unnecessarily split into the lamppost civil works components and the
supply and installation of luminaires.
3. There was inadequate coordination with the LGU end-users for the maintenance of the
completed projects, which resulted to project delays, constructed lampposts without
luminaires, and non-replacement of busted/missing luminaires.

The COA recommended that regional directors of the DPWH and district engineers
coordinate with LGUs and complete the construction of lampposts.

Clearly, the National Road Lighting Program showed that without the right people and
the right process, projects are guaranteed to fail. The Road Board did not possess the technical
capability to implement wide scale infrastructure development projects, such as the NRLP nor
was able to adopt the right methodology for the execution of the project. These lapses resulted to
project delays and the overall poor budget management for the NRLP.

The failed NRLP drove the different branches of the government to lobby for the
abolishment5 of the Road Board, which became effective on 08 March 2019.

4
Commission on Audit. “Annual Audit Report 2017”. Nd. Web. Retrieved on
https://www.coa.gov.ph/phocadownloadpap/userupload/annual_audit_report/NGAs/2017/National-Government-
Sector/Department-of-Public-Works-and-Highways/RB-MVUC_ES2017.pdf
5
Romero, Alexis. “Duterte signs law abolishing Road Board”. 19 March 2019. Web. Retrieved at
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/03/19/1902810/duterte-signs-law-abolishing-road-board