Marcos confident LGU execs won't be involved in ghost projects

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Friday expressed confidence that local government officials would not be involved in ghost projects.

This as Marcos reiterated that local government units would be provided with direct funding as regards the building and rehabilitation of classrooms nationwide.

''At saka nakakasiguro ako kasi – ako malakas ang loob ko sa mga LGU executives dahil hindi sila puwedeng mag-ghost project. Sisitahin kayong lahat. Hindi kayo puwedeng gawin substandard at pagka ginawa ninyo ‘yun araw-araw ay minumura kayo ng mga constituents ninyo kung hindi tama ang trabaho ninyo,'' Marcos said during his visit in Butuan City.

(I am sure that... I am confident that LGU executives won't be involved in ghost projects. They will reprimand you about that. You can't do substandard projects because if you do that, everyday, your constituents will curse you if your work is not good.)

Marcos is hoping that tapping LGUs would accelerate the construction of classrooms.

''And that is what we are doing now, and this is – close – a closer coordination between the national government and the LGUs,'' Marcos said.

''This is part of that new principle, that new concept that we are adopting, and then the new scheme that we have to accelerate the building of schoolrooms, school buildings in and around the Philippines so that we will achieve at least partway ang naging kulang sa ating mga schoolroom, sa ating mga school building,'' he added.

In the new scheme, the local government units will handle the funds, while the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Education will monitor the establishment of classrooms.

Earlier, Education Secretary Sonny Angara accused the DPWH of focusing too much on flood control projects, after it was revealed that only 22 out of 1,000 classrooms targeted for this year have been completed.

He pointed out that the sluggish pace of classroom construction underscores the need to reform the current system, where only the DPWH is authorized to implement DepEd-funded school building projects. 

Certify as urgent

Senator Bam Aquino has urged the President to certify the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act as an urgent measure to enable the government to resolve the nationwide classroom backlog.

Aquino said Senate Bill No. 121, which he authored, would complement the Chief Executive’s directive to channel funds directly to local government units (LGUs) to help fast-track the construction of classrooms.

Asked if Marcos would certify the bill as urgent, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro, in a separate briefing, said this would be studied first.

''Opo, alam po natin na ang classrooms shortage ay isa po talaga sa gustong tugunan ng ating Pangulo. At kung anuman po iyong bill, sana po ay mabigyan po agad ng kopya dahil hindi pa po ito naaaral,'' he said.

(Yes, the President wants to address the classroom shortage. Whatever that bill is, I hope we could get a copy.)

''Kapag po nabigyan na ng kopya ng bill, tingnan po natin kung dapat na pong umaksyon ang Pangulo,'' he added.

(If we receive a copy of the bill, we will see if the President will act on it.) — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA Integrated News