MANILA, (PNA) — The flood management projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in its proposed 2014 budget increased by 138.9 percent to P28.8 billion from to P12.8 billion in 2013 budget.
In his budget presentation at the House committee on Appropriations on Thursday, DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson, said that the past allocations for flood control and seawalls had been relatively small but after the devastation brought about by Typhoon Ondoy in September 2009, the allotment for flood management continued to increase.
He also said that a total of P4.49 billion from assisted project will be allocated for flood control and drainage nationwide.
Singson said his office is targeting to accomplish 130 flood control and drainage systems nationwide for 2014.
The DPWH total budgetary allocation for 2013 is P212.97 billion, 25.78 percent higher compare to P169.33 billion for 2013. DPWH is one of the agencies that get biggest allocation in the P2.268 trillion 2014 budget.
According to Singson, the DPWH’s national road network services will have an allocation of P91.13 billion, representing 49.28 percent of the department P184.86 billion capital outlay.
The national road network services will be apportioned among four categories such as asset preservation of national roads (P22 .17 billion), network development (P29.50 billion), road upgrading (P27.12 billion) and construction and maintenance of bridges (P12.33 billion).
Singson explained that the budget for national road network will be utilized mainly to upgrade the level of quality and safety of national roads and bridges and implement the recommendation of the High Standard Highway Master Plan.
He said that the DPWH wants to accomplish in 2014—the maintenance of 1,200 kilometers of national roads, construction of 605 kilometers of national roads and paving 1,022 kilometers of national road.
“Improving road condition can lead to savings in transportation costs,” he told members of the House committee on Appropriations.
The DPWH official said that some of the remaining capital outlay budget will go to its priority roads projects such as the NAIA expressway (7.15 km), NLEX-SLEX connector road (13 km), CALA expressway (47 km), Central Luzon expressway Phase I (30.7 km), Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (19 km), Lipa City-Batangas City Phase 3 C6 expressway (59.5 km), C6 extension (43.6 km) and Calamba-Los Banos expressway (14 km).
However, the DPWH allocation for the maintenance and construction services of other infrastructure will decline by 65.88 percent from P47.80 billion in 2013 to P16.31 billion in 2014.
The maintenance and construction services and other infrastructure include the construction/improvement of access road leading to airports, seaports and declared tourism destination; construction and maintenance of water supply and sewerage and construction and maintenance of accessibility facilities for physically challenge person.
Among these programs, the construction and improvements of access road leading to declared tourism destinations will get the bulk or P14.25 billion of the said budget.
The DPWH said for this program the agency is targeting to accomplish next year, 26 kilometers access road to airports, 33 kilometers access roads to seaports and 760 kilometers access road leading to tourist destinations.