P15-B military projects of DPWH unusable

The latest Senate hearing on the budget of the Department of National Defense (DND) has unearthed some P15 billion worth of allocations that ended up in uncompleted and unusable projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the military from 2023 to 2025.

- By MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN

The revelation prompted the Senate finance committee chaired by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to stop the Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (TIKAS) Program of the DPWH and transfer its 2026 allocation of P3 billion directly to the DND.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. also revealed during the hearing last Tuesday that he planned to arrange an inspection of the unfinished projects with Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon so he could gather more evidence in preparation for possible filing of charges against erring officials and their cohorts.

“We proposed that it be scrapped already and all implementation be by the DND-AFP,” Teodoro said, describing the DPWH TIKAS projects as nothing more than drainage system and firing ranges that are “not part of the core infrastructure-based development program.”