MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered a sweeping audit of construction material costs in all Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects nationwide after uncovering what he described as “egregious” cases of overpricing in key supplies such as asphalt, steel bars, and cement.
The President said the findings prompted him to direct DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to slash prices of construction materials by as much as 50 percent to align government spending with market rates and curb misuse of public funds.
“In order to ensure that the costs of DPWH will reflect the costs of the market and to ensure that the people’s money is correctly spent, I have directed the DPWH Secretary to bring down the cost of materials by as much as 50 percent, which will result in savings in the capital outlay spending of at least P30 to P45 billion,” Marcos said during his departure speech at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City before flying to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
Marcos revealed that initial reviews by DPWH showed alarming price discrepancies across regional offices.
“Actually, there are some egregious examples where it’s even more than that,” he said.
Dizon, in a separate statement, said the DPWH would implement regional cost adjustments and enforce stricter procurement oversight to prevent overpricing and ensure transparency in all infrastructure projects.
The President also warned that accountability measures are underway.
“At the same time, the Bureau of Internal Revenue will recalibrate its priorities and ensure that all those found complicit in the irregularities surrounding flood control projects are held fully accountable under the law. We will uphold fairness in our tax system,” he added.
The directive comes amid a broader government drive to cleanse infrastructure spending following reports of irregularities in flood control contracts worth billions of pesos. Marcos said the government is now reviewing all ongoing and completed projects to ensure every peso of public money delivers value to the people./PN
