CoA lists 1,740 problematic DPWH projects
A total of 1,740 projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) totalling P65,988,738,735 were not finished or completed on time, the Commission on Audit (CoA) reported.
In its consolidated report on the DPWH for 2019, CoA said it evaluated 2,411 projects totaling P101.69 billion from 2015 to 2019.
It bared that 1,740 projects “were not finished or completed within the specific contract time or required completion date,” 550 projects totaling P31.05 billion were suspended, 40 “costing at least” P1.44 billion were terminated, and 81 totaling P3.2 billion “have not been started at all during the year.”
CoA said 214 projects involved building schools and 26 were farm-to-market roads.
The delays in the implementation of the projects were traced to “numerous suspension orders, time extensions and variation orders issued by DPWH offices.”
Among the factors contributing to the delays were typhoons or unfavorable weather conditions, peace and order problems; road right-of-way acquisitions; and the lag in the issuance of excavation permit/clearance from” local government units.
CoA said except for typhoons or unfavorable weather condition, all the other issues “should have been considered and resolved during the preliminary engineering study on the viability of the project and pre-construction activities.”
It also cited the “absence of coordination mechanism in place, which is among the vital parts of the feasibility and preliminary engineering study.”
CoA said 54 of the delayed infrastructure projects “incurred delays that exceeded the allowable 10 percent of the specified original/ revised contract time.”
Despite the issues leading to the delays, DPWH did not rescind or terminate the contracts or impose liquidated damages to the contractors.
The 54 projects cost P607.81 million, CoA said.
It said the DPWH must minimize the delays by seeing to it that issues such as relocation of informal settlers and viability of the project sites are addressed, and the projects are strictly monitored and supervised, among other things.
REINA C. TOLENTINO