Marcos launches transparency portal on infra projects

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday announced the launch of the government’s transparency portal on infrastructure projects. 

At a press conference, Marcos said the Department of Public Works and Highways Transparency Portal is more comprehensive than the sumbongsapangulo website. 

''I hope that this will satisfy the... This will satisfy our need and our desire that with the process now, that people have no faith in, na walang katiwa-tiwala ngayon ang taumbayan – hindi mo naman sila masisi pero wala silang tiwala sa sistema ngayon – ay sana naman ito ay maibalik natin ang kumpiyansa ng ating mga kababayan sa ating pamahalaan,'' Marcos said.

(I hope that this will satisfy the... This will satisfy our need and our desire that with the process now, that people have no faith in, the public does not trust anymore – you cannot blame them for not trusting the system anymore – we hope we can restore public trust to the government.) 

''I know it is just the first step, but it is just the first step. We will keep going on this. All right,'' he added.

Marcos said this is one of the reforms being implemented by the government to prevent anomalies and corruption in infrastructure projects. 

The Presidential Communications Office said that information on all DPWH projects since 2016 are made open to the public to monitor their implementation and report observations on any irregularities.

The DPWH Transparency Portal will serve as a ''digital library'' for 247,172 DPWH projects.

Marcos said the portal would contain important details such as the implementing office, total project cost, progress rate, and funding source.

The PCO said the portal was developed in about two months with support from private sector technology partners and the Philippine Space Agency, which will provide satellite images.

The portal’s search and filtering functionality allows users to browse or search for projects and narrow results by specific criteria.

The project details, including images, geographic data, and downloadable copies of contract documents, and the status of contracts and projects, will be uploaded every month in the portal. 

Further, the system will also use artificial intelligence to deliver a faster and more efficient user experience. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News