Residents wade through floodwaters to return to their submerged houses in Marikina City Metro Manila August 8, 2012. Emergency workers and troops rushed food, water and clothes to nearly 850,000 people displaced and marooned from deadly floods spawned by 11 straight days of southwest monsoon rains that soaked the Philippine capital and nearby provinces. About 60 percent of Manila, a sprawling metropolis of about 12 million people, remained inundated on Wednesday, Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster agency said. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said the Supreme Court’s decision on the disbursement acceleration program (DAP) won’t stop the agency from implementing its flood control and other infrastructure projects.
Singson said the Department of Public Works and Highways pooled its own savings and savings from other agencies to fund its flood control masterplan.
That masterplan was finalized in late 2012.
Singson said rather than wait for next year’s budget, he asked President Aquino and the National Economic and Development Authority board to use savings to cover the 5 billion pesos needed for high-priority projects.
He said they might run into delays but they are determined to pursue the projects.
“These are ongoing. I will not stop the flood control projects because I don’t think the unconstitutional aspect of the Supreme Court decision refers to projects like this. Hindi naman cross-border ito,” he said.
Without the DAP, the DPWH will tap into its quick response fund for typhoon reconstruction.
The fund is allocated in every budget. The DPWH chief said the quick response fund this year is at P600 million and that the department is asking for P800 million next year. (MNS)