MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Nov. 5 (PIA)
--- The Department of Public Works and Highways in the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (DPWH-ARMM) vowed to boost infrastructure projects across the
region as it keeps up with the reform agenda of the Autonomous Regional
Government.
Engr. Don Mustapha Loong,
DPWH-ARMM secretary, said the good governance practices introduced by the
present ARMM administration have transformed the department into one of the
most competent line agencies in the ARMM.
He said the reforms included
prudent fiscal management and a policy of transparency and accountability among
the department’s officials and employees.
The DPWH-ARMM, he said, has
enforced, for the first time in the history of the ARMM, an open and
competitive bidding and procurement process in line with RA 9184 or the
Government Procurement Reform Act.
Loong said the agency’s
transformation contributed to better public expenditure and made possible the
implementation of more infrastructure projects in the region.
The DPWH-ARMM’s budget
consistently increased from P1 billion in 2012 to P10 billion in the current
fiscal year. It has targeted to pave a total of 1,031.285 kilometers of roads
across the region from 2012 to 2015.
As of October 2015, it has already
concreted 348.471 kilometers, while a total of 562.272 kilometers of road
concreting projects are presently on-going.
Loong said the bigger budgetary
allocation is a historic milestone that allowed the department to construct new
roads and other infrastructure facilities.
He said the massive infrastructure
projects have allowed the DPWH-ARMM to contribute to job generation in the
region.
On November 4, the agency marked
its 25th anniversary. Loong said the department is gearing towards getting an
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 certification to help
boost the performance of the agency.
He said that every employee,
regardless of rank, can contribute to the department’s ISO-certification bid
and in the successful implementation of its various programs and projects.
Meanwhile, ARMM Vice-Governor
Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman lauded the DPWH-ARMM for its contributions to the
reforms in the ARMM and in the improvement of the delivery of basic government
services in the region. (BPI/PIA-10
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