Latest news with #Bonoan
Filipino Times
20 hours ago
- Business
- Filipino Times
DPWH lacks monitoring system for flood control projects inserted by lawmakers
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) admitted it has no monitoring system in place for certain flood control projects, particularly those inserted into the national budget by lawmakers without undergoing technical vetting. DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said some projects only appear in the agency's records after they are included in the final version of the General Appropriations Act (GAA). 'That will be the first time we will be seeing ang mga projects na ito kapag nailagay na po sa General Appropriations Act,' Bonoan said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. Despite this, the DPWH is still tasked to implement the projects, which often face delays due to the absence of feasibility studies, engineering assessments, and validation. From 2023 to 2025, the DPWH received a total of P980.25 billion for flood control projects, averaging P326.75 billion annually, according to data from GMA Integrated News Research. Bonoan said the department will comply with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to submit a comprehensive audit of completed and ongoing flood control projects. The agency will also report on the status of projects still under construction or those that remain inactive. The DPWH clarified that only projects included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) are subject to its regular validation process. Many flood control projects inserted during bicameral deliberations bypass this procedure. He also noted that the agency's budget for project preparation and engineering work has been significantly reduced, making implementation more difficult. In December, Marcos vetoed P16.72 billion worth of DPWH flood control items in the 2025 budget, stating that only projects under the NEP would be supported. This followed repeated findings by government watchdogs and state auditors about delays in foreign-assisted flood mitigation efforts in areas such as Metro Manila, Cavite, and Cagayan de Oro. While the DPWH uses a monitoring application for officially vetted projects, Bonoan said this does not cover projects inserted into the budget without the department's involvement.
GMA Network
20 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
EDSA rehab might be moved to 2027 — DPWH
The deferred rehabilitation of the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) — Metro Manila's busiest thoroughfare — which was supposed to start in June this year might be moved further to 2027, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Wednesday. On the sidelines of the Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) forum in San Juan City, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan told reporters that the DPWH is now awaiting President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.'s go signal for the agency to implement its recommendations to use a non-conventional construction technology to implement EDSA's rehabilitation. 'Ayaw ni Presidente na masyado mahaba 'yung pagsasara ng lanes sa EDSA,' Bonoan said. (The President does not want the closure of lanes at EDSA to take longer.) To recall, Marcos suspended the EDSA rehabilitation initiative that was supposed to begin on June 13, as the project needs to be studied for one month to know if there are new technologies that can be used to hasten the rehabilitation of the 23.8-kilometer road. In the original plan, EDSA would be reconstructed lane-by-lane, with each being replaced by a new road. The DPWH is now studying the 'time and motion' process where a layer would be placed above the surface of EDSA. Bonoan said it will not be practical to do the EDSA rehabilitation this second half of the year amid the rainy season. 'Mga next year na or 2027 kasi may ASEAN meeting eh,' he said. (It would be next year or 2027 because of the ASEAN meeting.) The Philippines is set to host the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit next year, as it took the helm of the bloc's chairmanship. The DPWH chief said that using a new technology, the rehabilitation of EDSA would 'take about six months.' With this, Bonoan said that 'there will be slight changes in the [budget].' The whole project would cost between P8 billion and P17 billion. Bonoan, in an exclusive report by Joseph Morong on '24 Oras,' earlier said that the road's rehabilitation and the consequent implementation of the odd-even scheme will only begin in 2026 as 'it is already the rainy season in the country, which will be followed by the Christmas rush during the 'Ber' months. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
a day ago
- Business
- GMA Network
DPWH admits lack of monitoring on 'inserted' flood control projects
The Department of Public Works and Highways admitted Wednesday that it has no monitoring system in place for some flood control projects—specifically those inserted by lawmakers into the national budget without undergoing technical vetting. DPWH Secretary Manuel 'Manny' Bonoan said the agency is seeing some of the projects for the first time only after they appear in the final version of the General Appropriations Act (GAA). 'That will be the first time we will be seeing ang mga projects na ito kapag nailagay na po sa General Appropriations Act,' Bonoan said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. (That's the first time we see these projects—when they're already in the final national budget.) 'Wala po [monitoring] because we are not part of the bicameral conference committee,' he added. (There's no monitoring, because we're not part of the bicameral committee.) Despite this, the DPWH is still expected to implement these projects—often with delays, due to the lack of prior validation, feasibility studies, or engineering assessments. 'Kami na rin po mag-iimplement (we will be the ones to implement) pero it will take some time to do assessments and validations,' Bonoan said. From 2023 to 2025, the DPWH received around P980.25 billion in funding for flood control—an average of P326.75 billion per year, based on data from GMA Integrated News Research. During his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the DPWH to submit a full list of all completed and ongoing flood control projects. The directive aims to identify delays, assess performance, and flag any possible ghost projects. 'I have ordered a comprehensive audit of all the projects that have been completed or are being implemented right now,' Bonoan said. The department will also submit each project's current status, including those still under construction and those that remain inactive. Insertions bypass DPWH checks The DPWH clarified that only projects included in the executive's National Expenditure Program (NEP) go through its regular validation process. Many flood control projects, however, are inserted into the national budget by lawmakers during bicameral deliberations—without DPWH involvement. 'Yung mga new items na hindi dumaan sa amin initially sa pagba-validate,' Bonoan said. (Those new items didn't go through us for initial validation.) He added the last-minute insertions often cause delays, especially when they involve right-of-way issues or affect existing communities. The lack of preparation and reduced funding for engineering work further slow down implementation. 'Ang mga budget po namin (Our budget) for project preparations and engineering activities have been drastically deleted,' he said. Last December, Marcos vetoed P16.72 billion worth of DPWH flood control items in the 2025 national budget. He emphasized that only projects included in the NEP will be supported moving forward. This aligns with long-standing concerns from watchdog groups and auditors, who flagged delays in several high-profile, foreign-assisted flood mitigation efforts in recent years—including projects in Metro Manila, Cavite, and Cagayan de Oro. While the DPWH uses a project monitoring application to track officially vetted projects, Bonoan acknowledged that the same level of oversight does not exist for inserted items. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 days ago
- Climate
- GMA Network
DPWH: Engineering interventions only part of solution vs. floods
Engineering interventions are only part of the solution in mitigating the floods plaguing the country every rainy season, noting there are other factors that should be considered, said Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Thursday. 'Ang engineering intervention is just one component of flood mitigation. Marami yung other factors that may cause yung flooding problems, hindi lang engineering intervention. Kailangan din natin pagtuunan ng pansin ang environment issues….Dito sa Metro Manila, yung pinag uusapan natin, ay kahit mayroon na tayong ginagawang mga interventions, kung ganun pa rin yung basura sa loob, hindi lang makadaloy yung tubig baha sa loob papunta sa mga pumping stations,' he said in an interview on 'Balitanghali'. (Engineering intervention is just one component of flood mitigation. There are many other factors that may cause flooding problems, not just engineering intervention. We also need to pay attention to environmental issues…. Here in Metro Manila, what we are talking about is, even though we have interventions in place, if there is still garbage in the sewage system, the floodwater inside will not be able to flow to the pumping stations.) Parts of the country, especially in Luzon, are flooded due to the heavy downpour brought by the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat, as well as by the series of storms from Crising, Dante and Emong. Climate action group Aksyon Klima Pilipinas earlier called on lawmakers to conduct a legislative inquiry into the status and implementation of flood control projects nationwide and their effectiveness in mitigating flooding in their respective areas. Further, the DPWH chief said that floods are inevitable now. 'Hindi naman siguro mawawalan lahat ng pagbaha….Yung severe weather, may climate change po tayo ngayon, hindi naman siguro natin totally mawalan ng baha. Even yung mga mauunlad na mga bansa, ganun din yung kanilang mga problema ngayon, yung mga climate change phenomenon na sinasabi natin,' said Bonoan. (Flooding will always occur ... .With severe weather, we also have climate change now, maybe we won't completely eliminate flooding. Even developed countries, they have the same problems now, the climate change phenomena that we are talking about.) To recall, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed or removed at least P16.7 billion worth of flood control projects in various regions nationwide under the P6.326 trillion national budget for 2025. But Marcos earlier instructed concerned government agencies to ensure the safety of the people amid the floods in Metro Manila and several other provinces, and to deliver assistance to flood victims quickly. — RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
20-07-2025
- Climate
- GMA Network
5 national roads still impassable due to Crising, Habagat
Five national roads are still impassable due to the effects of Severe Tropical Storm Crising and the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Sunday. Speaking on Super Radyo dzBB, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said most of the impassable road sections are in the Cordillera Administrative Region. This includes Kennon Road that links Baguio City to Rosario, Pangasinan, where a boulder rolled down a mountain, killing a pet dog before smashing a parked car. 'More or less, mula July 17 hanggang kahapon, ang report sa atin ay 13 national roads were rendered unpassable, walo na ang cleared kahapon,' Bonoan said. (From July 17 to yesterday, 13 national roads were reported impassable, and eight have since been cleared.) 'Hindi naman gaano malalaki 'yung sira na sinabi sa akin (the damage was not that serious). I am hoping that by today or tomorrow, passable na ang mga kalsada,' he added. No bridges were reported damaged due to the inclement weather, Bonoan said. Meanwhile, the Manila North Road and Cagayan Valley Road are now passable. In a separate dzBB interview, Batanes Governor Ronald Aguto Jr. said Crising did not have a significant effect on the country's northernmost province. 'Walang masyadong ulan dito noong bagyong Crising. Nakahanda naman ang lahat kaya walang kailangang i-preemptive evacuate,' Aguto said. (There was little rain here during Crising. Everyone was prepared, so there was no need for any preemptive evacuation.) Currently, Aguto said the weather in Batanes is calm. 'Kalmado na ang panahon dito. Medyo maulap nang kaunti pero sa awa ng Diyos, maganda na ang panahon,' he said. (The weather here is now calm. It's still a bit cloudy, but by God's grace, the weather has improved.) The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council earlier reported that three people died while another three were injured due to the effects of Crising and the Habagat. The report also showed that a total of 370,289 individuals, or 120,008 families, were affected by Crising, which exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday. — RF, GMA Integrated News
