WHEN IT comes to public infrastructure, quality is not negotiable. Projects built with taxpayers’ money must stand the test of time and serve the communities they were intended for. Yet history has shown us an ugly pattern: ribbon-cuttings for unfinished facilities, glossy turnover documents masking defective structures, and local governments left to clean up the mess.
This is why the reinstatement of local government unit (LGU) clearance for the completion of national projects is a welcome procedural adjustment. It is a restoration of common sense. LGUs are the true end-users and custodians of public infrastructure. They are responsible for maintaining these facilities long after national agencies have packed up their equipment and declared the work “done.”
Iloilo City knows this reality all too well. The case of the Jalandoni Street pumping station is a cautionary tale. Handed over by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as “completed,” the station was riddled with defects that rendered it practically useless. It fell on the city government to spend an additional P10 million just to make the facility operational. That is P10 million of public funds wasted — not because the city asked for it, but because it inherited a defective project. And remember the defective elevator for the overpass on the Diversion Road, courtesy of DPWH, too?
Such experiences highlight why LGUs must have the power to inspect, evaluate, and ultimately decide if a project meets the standards of safety, durability, and usability. No one understands better than local officials whether a flood-control system truly works during heavy rains, whether a pumping station actually reduces flooding, or whether a road is built with materials strong enough to endure daily use.
Iloilo City’s Mayor Raisa Treñas was right to call the reinstated safeguard a “very important” one. It not only upholds the spirit of the Local Government Code but also gives LGUs the rightful authority to say: this project is ready, or this project must be corrected before it is accepted.
The involvement of LGUs also enhances transparency. It removes the tendency of national agencies to rush projects for political expediency, or worse, to cut corners. When local governments are required to sign off, project contractors and implementing offices will think twice before delivering substandard work.
Empowering LGUs to ensure quality public works does not undermine national agencies. It is strengthening partnership, aligning accountability with responsibility. Local governments must not be reduced to passive recipients of projects; they must be active gatekeepers of quality.
The hard lesson from Iloilo City – without LGU oversight, we risk repeating costly mistakes. With it, we move closer to a future where infrastructure is not just concrete and steel, but a true investment in the lives and well-being of the people it serves.
