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MANILA, Philippines, July 26, 2010 —"Yes, for sure … It’s definitely a go." Public Works Secretary Rogelio L. Singson has assured the Inquirer that his agency will set up a "call center" but did not provide other details, like its budget. "We are still sizing the project requirements," he said.

The project is part of Singson’s key strategic policy of "opening up the DPWH and encouraging the general public to participate in the governance and monitoring" of public works projects.

"I have to get a sense of what people are complaining about. With the call center, people can convey their complaints," he said, stressing, "Wala kaming itatago dito (We have nothing to hide)." Singson has repeatedly said they "need to be transparent in all our transactions." He also promised to "lead by example and walk the talk."

Focus on transparency
The public works secretary said President Aquino had instructed him to "focus on transparency, optimize the budget, minimize budget leakage and change organizational culture to restore public trust in the DPWH."

Early this month in his first news conference, Singson disclosed that he had a "fairly good idea where the leakages are coming from" as he referred to, among others, irregularities in the selection, awarding and implementation of public works projects worth millions, if not billions of pesos.

Singson also said he knew "for a fact that some projects are very substandard. "We all know that. Instead of 30 percent [of project funds] going to leakages and the remaining 70 percent going to the projects, eh baligtad na (it’s the reverse)," he noted.

Report anomalies
Singson believes the establishment of a feedback mechanism like a call center would help the DPWH go after erring personnel, some of whom "act as middlemen and collectors for contractors, politicians and other questionable personalities."

The DPWH had earlier set up a Complaints and Action Center at its headquarters in Port Area, Manila. However, it only received a few complaints from the public, according to Singson. Thus, the need for a call center working 24/7, as well as accounts on the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, he said. Beth Pillorin, the department’s public information officer, said they would most likely hold a bidding for service providers to handle call center operations.

Hotlines
While waiting for the call center to be set up, the DPWH will have to make do with its complaints’ desk. "We have applied for at least four new hotlines with [the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.]. We now have two hotlines—302-9196 and 304-3370," Pillorin said.

The public can also SMS their complaints by "typing DPWH, space, their message, space, the sender’s contact details, and send it to 2920."

The DPWH regional office in Iloilo City has also set up its own complaints and action desk which can be reached through (033) 329-9001 and 325-0257, according to Pillorin.

Special task force
In a statement, DPWH-Region 6 Director Rolando Asis said the establishment of the desk was "in support for the program of Secretary Singson for the department to shed its image as a graft-ridden agency."

"By opening our doors, the general public can participate in the governance and monitoring of DPWH projects as they can call our attention with regards to project implementation and perceived anomalous transactions," Asis said.

Asis also formed a "special task force" to monitor the implementation of public works projects in Western Visayas, composed of three engineers from the materials and quality control, construction and planning and design divisions of the regional office.

Public works budget
This year, the DPWH budget totals P135.5 billion, about P1.9 billion less than its 2009 allocation.

At least P76.7 billion of the 2010 budget will go to the construction and repair of roads and bridges nationwide, while P25.9 billion and P7.43 billion will be spent on flood control and other infrastructure projects, respectively.

An additional P1.66 billion is allocated for national government buildings while P4.12 billion will go to project right-of-way expenses.

The DPWH has also set aside P6.63 billion for maintenance and operating expenses and P3.54 billion for personnel services.

Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, Asia Pacific correspondent

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net