MANILA — In another bid to address rampant corruption in government projects, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. launched the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) Transparency Portal to provide the public access to comprehensive information on government infrastructure projects nationwide.
For the first time, information on all DPWH projects since 2016 is now open to the public, to allow citizens to monitor their implementation and report observations on any irregularities.
The transparency portal can be accessed at https://transparency.dpwh.gov.ph.
It serves as a digital library for the 247,172 DPWH projects worth P6.359 trillion as of 2025.
The President attributed the lack of transparency in public works to widespread irregularities in the DPWH, which he denounced during his fourth State of the Nation Address on July 28.
“One of the most important things that became very clear in all the investigations into these incidents is that we lost transparency. People could no longer monitor what was really happening inside the government,” he said in a briefing in Malacañang.
“And because of that, all sorts of things were being done; no one was reporting anything because things were hidden. These wrongdoers were able to conceal their misconduct, since ordinary people — and even officials at times — could not check what was going on,” Marcos added.
Patterned after the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website, the DPWH Transparency Portal houses information not only on flood control projects, but on all types of infrastructure projects, including farm-to-market roads, irrigation canals, classrooms, hospitals, and other facilities.
‘Sumbong sa Pangulo’ site
On Aug. 11, Marcos launched the Sumbong sa Pangulo website to encourage citizens to directly report any nonoperational or anomalous flood control projects in their areas.
The interactive website, sumbongsapangulo.ph, lists all flood control projects of the government and their location, name of contractor, cost, and completion date.
The DPWH Transparency Portal expands on the Sumbong sa Pangulo website by providing information on all public works projects and not just flood control infrastructure.
According to Marcos, the Sumbong sa Pangulo website received more than 20,000 reports for the three months after it was put up.
“The information provided by the public to the government is very important because there are many details that we wouldn’t have obtained if not for your reports,” he said.
Even satellite images
Providing a run-through of the DPWH portal, Marcos pointed out that “right away, if you have any questions or issues about that project, you can simply press ‘report,’ where you can tag the project as completed, defective, duplicate, unfinished, or a ghost project.”
These projects can all be searched by the name of the contract, location, or the name of the contractor.
Upon clicking on an infrastructure project, the portal provides important details such as the implementing office, project cost, progress rate, and funding source.
Procurement documents, photos of the project at different time periods, and satellite images by the Philippine Space Agency can also be viewed.
The system employs a chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to guide users through the portal.
The public can submit reports or observations anonymously to the portal, which the DPWH Office of the Secretary will then review, endorse, and act upon accordingly.
Public feedback
Marcos urged all Filipinos to use the DPWH Transparency Portal, stressing the importance of public feedback in the government’s latest anticorruption campaign.
“The Transparency Portal is not just a website. It is a promise. It is a digital wall against corruption—one that strengthens our belief that the government is open, honest, and listens to the people,” he said.
“Do not hesitate to report any inkling of corruption. If you have something to report, report it so we can study it, look into it, and assess whether there is truly a problem or not,” he added. (Dexter Cabalza, Inquirer Resarch © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
