Senator Erwin Tulfo is pushing for a unified flood control project planning and monitoring system in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The vice chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee made the call after it was exposed that the grid coordinates generated by DPWH from the Multi-Year Programming and Scheduling (MYPS) and the Project and Contract Management Application (PCMA) to locate the ghost flood control projects in the past years were inaccurate.
“It seems po na hindi reliable ang MYPS coordinates. There are certain inconsistencies. Kasi po parang medyo magulo eh. Meron tayong MYPS, merong ika nga para sa PCMA. Ano ba talaga? Hindi ba pa pwedeng isa na lamang na coordinates?” Tulfo asked.
“Kasi magulo ito—through MYPS, we identify the project. Through PCMA, we monitor the project. So, hindi ata tama na magkaiba ang coordinates sa MYPS at PCMA,” the legislator went on.
The lawmaker emphasized that the two systems currently used in the DPWH could open windows for corruption.
“Kung iisa lamang po ito, di wala hong kawala.”
“Habang may mga grey areas tayo na ganito, yung mga malilikot ang isip, nakakapag-isip ng how to make money because there’s a grey area. Dala-dalawa po ‘yung ikang coordinates natin. Pero kung iisa lamang po ito, di wala hong kawala,” the senator said.
Responding to Tulfo, DPWH Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III agreed that there should only be one planning and monitoring system for infrastructure projects.
“Meron nga po kami ng foreign assisted project to reform this application para nga po isa na lang ang coordinates na gamit po natin.”
“Sobrang agree po kami dyan. Tamang-tama po ‘yung inyong sinabi. Kaya nga po meron po kami ang mga reporma ngayon to implement itong mga bagong systems, to improve the systems. In fact, meron nga po kami ng foreign assisted project to reform this application para nga po isa na lang ang coordinates na gamit po natin,” Bernabe said.
On top of this, the DPWH official said they will launch a transparency portal and pursue satellite imaging to help them in the monitoring of projects and lessen human intervention.
In the same hearing, Tulfo urged the DPWH to hasten the verification of the list of alleged ghost flood control projects across the country amid the recent developments in the investigation.
“‘Yan po ang nirereklamo ng mga kababayan natin. Wala pong nahuhuli, wala pang nakukulong. ‘Yun pala, may problema tayo… sa mga wrong coordinates kaya kailangan i-double check po natin,” he stressed.
“Habang tumatagal po ito, magkakaroon ng duda ‘yung mga tao na baka may tinatakpan tayo sa sobrang tagal. And I’m sure you’ve heard of the words or phrase that justice delayed is justice denied. Sa sobrang tagal po nito, ika nga, baka may mga ma-abswelto, magka-aregluhan dahil sa sobrang bagal ho,” Tulfo added.
In response, Bernabe said the verification of the 421 alleged flood control projects is nearing completion.
For his part, acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida reiterated Tulfo’s call for DPWH to release the verified list of flood control projects in order for them to start the case build-up against the other individuals in the flood control scandal.
