President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to cut construction material costs by up to 50 percent — a move expected to save the government at least P30 to P45 billion, which will be redirected to vital sectors such as health, education, and food.
Marcos also reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the country’s bureaucracy, making it “more responsive, accountable, and transparent” in serving the Filipinos.
Speaking at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City prior to his departure for the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Malaysia, President Marcos emphasized his directives to various government agencies to ensure that public funds are spent appropriately and fairly.
The President highlighted the DPWH’s ongoing efforts to thoroughly review its projects and contracts, with a strong focus on holding accountable those implicated in corruption.
According to the President, after reviewing the prices of construction materials for projects, the DPWH discovered that several items such as asphalt, steel bars, and cement, were overpriced by as much as 50 percent.
“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 PhP30 to 45 billion,” the President said.
Marcos added that the saved funds will be directed to essential sectors such as health, education, and food.
Furthermore, the President also underscored that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will recalibrate its priorities to ensure that individuals involved in irregularities surrounding flood control projects are held fully accountable under the law.
The President added that the government will uphold fairness in the tax system, assuring micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and large corporations which have been lawfully paying their taxes that they will be treated justly.
“We are just moving the focus from the MSMEs and from the auditing of large corporations. We are moving those efforts towards these questionable projects that we have been able to find,” President Marcos said.
The President also noted that the Department of Finance (DOF) has instructed the BIR to explore the possibility of exempting specific taxpayer segments from the obligation to withhold and remit creditable withholding taxes, and to simplify and lower the applicable creditable withholding tax rates.
“With this, we hope to provide relief to the majority of our taxpayers burdened by complex tax compliance requirements without revenues to be foregone,” the President said.
PIA PHOTO
