|
Sec.
Mark Villar delivering his message during the instructional
meeting held last January 22, 2018 at the DPWH Central
Office in Manila. |
DPWH Samar I to
uphold integrity in 2018 project implementation
By
MAE ANGELICA R. COMOTA
February 5, 2018
CALBAYOG CITY – On
Monday, January 22, 2018, sixteen Regional Directors (RDs) and 183
District Engineers (DEs) from all over the country attended an
instructional meeting regarding the FY 2018 and Proposed FY 2019
DPWH Budget conducted at the DPWH Central Office in Manila. Among
them was Samar First District Engineer (DE) Alvin Ignacio.
Before the meeting proper,
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar delivered his message by expressing his
support to the RDs and DEs, “Huwag kayong matakot gumawa ng tama,
susuportahan ko kayo. I’m aware of the pressures you are facing but
in the end, it is our duty to protect the budget. I will make sure
that under my watch, we will not sink but shine.”
The instructional meeting
mainly focused on the general and special provisions of the FY 2018
General Appropriations Act (GAA) as well as its modification and
augmentation which was discussed thoroughly by DPWH Undersecretary
for Planning and PPP Maria Catalina Cabral. Additionally, Usec.
Cabral mentioned that 2018 will serve as a transition period because
there will be a shift to annual, cash-based appropriation for the FY
2019 budget compared to the obligation-based approach used in the
previous years.
Meanwhile, Project
Monitoring Division Chief, Melrose Pailma, encouraged those in
attendance to religiously update the projects in the Project and
Contract Management Application (PCMA) which is a system used as a
tool for inspection by reflecting the accomplishment of infra
projects real-time in compliance with DPWH’s transparency efforts.
DE Ignacio restated all of
the important points made during the instructional meeting during
the regular staff conference with Samar First’s key officials and
project engineers. He gave out instructions to use the lessons
learned in 2017 as basis in the implementation of projects for 2018.
He concluded the meeting by reiterating Sec. Villar’s words of
protecting the budget, “due to the increased budget for this year,
the office [Samar First] shall put in place the necessary measures
to speed up payment to contractors, reflecting an increased
accomplishment rate while still upholding integrity in our project
implementation so that the quality of our projects will not be
compromised.”
