Mayor Vico welcomes DPWH project list, pushes for more transparency
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said the newly launched SumbongSaPangulo.ph website has provided a long-awaited list of flood control projects in the city, but emphasized the need for more detailed documents to ensure proper monitoring.
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto (file photo)
In a social media post on Sunday, August 24, the city mayor said the development is “a good start” in improving information flow between the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local governments.
“Through the said website, we now have a list of project titles, costs, completion dates, and locations. Malaking hakbang na rin ito kasi madalas kulang talaga info ng LGU sa DPWH projects, lalo na pag UPMO project,” the mayor said.
He noted, however, that the available information was not enough to assess the completeness or quality of the flood control projects.
“Kung kumpleto at maayos naman, eh di mabuti; kung may problema o may kulang, dapat malaman para maaksyunan ( If it's complete and in order, that's fine; if there's a problem or something is missing, you need to know so you can take action),” he added.
Sotto explained that documents such as the Program of Works (POW) and Bill of Quantities (BOQ) are essential in reviewing projects.
“Masusuri lang natin ng maayos ang isang proyekto kung meron tayong kopya nito. Halimbawa: ilan metro ba dapat ang haba ng buong project? tama ba ang sukat ng bakal? anong klaseng materyales ba ang dapat ginamit?( We can only properly analyze a project if we have a copy of it. For example: how many meters should the entire project be? Is the steel size correct? What kind of materials should be used?),” he said.
He also suggested that the Detailed Unit Price Analysis (DUPA) and bidding documents might need to be scrutinized.
The city government is preparing a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DPWH, the request seeks copies of the documents needed for a thorough evaluation of the projects.
“This weekend, after initial research, we are drafting an FOI request to secure the above-mentioned documents. We will formalize this request to the DPWH this week,” Sotto said.
“With these documents, the LGU will help the national government investigate within its jurisdiction. We’ll also engage civil society organizations, especially for long-term monitoring,” he added.