Gov't vows objective review of flood projects, no witch hunt
According to Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon, the RPMC will prioritize the list of flood control projects that will be submitted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
'While waiting for that list, binabalangkas na po ng grupo namin, ng regional development group namin, iyong magiging protocol ng review para noon magiging objective, hindi naman tayo magiging witch hunting, ganyan,' she said during the Post-SONA Discussions in San Juan City.
'Magiging objective po iyong pagri-review nito at gaya nga ng sinabi ko, mayroon tayong private sector na representative dito at magiging maagap din po kami sa pag-report po nito sa RDC (Regional Development Council) siyempre at sa Pangulo po,' she added.
(While waiting for that list, our group — our regional development group — is already drafting the review protocol so that the process will be objective and we won't resort to witch hunting. The review will be done objectively, and as I mentioned, we have a private sector representative involved. We will also be prompt in reporting this to the RDC, of course, and to the President.)
In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, Marcos tasked the DPWH to submit a list of flood control projects in the last three years, which will then be examined to see their progress and if they exist, with the list set to be made public.
The RPMC, tasked to provide up-to-date information on the overall status of project implementation and assess project status reports, is chaired by the DepDev, and co-chaired by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
'Iyong Regional Project Monitoring Committee is actually a committee under the Regional Development Council. So, talaga pong itong grupo na ito consisting of mga regional line agencies po ito, selected agencies po, may kasama rin po itong private sector, may mga private sector reps po sa mga RPMC,' Edillon said.
'So, mayroon po talaga silang mino-monitor na mga proyekto pero iyon nga sa dami nito baka hindi talaga nasusuyod lahat – there's really a prioritization that happens,' she added.
(The Regional Project Monitoring Committee is actually a committee under the Regional Development Council. So, this group is really composed of regional line agencies, selected agencies, and it also includes representatives from the private sector. So, they really do monitor projects, but because there are so many of them, it's possible not all are thoroughly reviewed — there's really a prioritization that happens.)
The southwest monsoon or Habagat and Tropical Cyclones that hit the country — Crising (international name: Wipha), Dante (international name: Francisco), and Emong (international name: Co-may) — have logged infrastructure damage of P7.355 billion, and a death toll of 31. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
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