A minority lawmaker on Thursday, September 9, questioned the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) unpaved road projects.
Deputy Minority Leader Bernadette Herrera's concern came following the release of data by the DPWH showing 54.7 percent of local roads were still unpaved.
"95,127 kilometers pa ang badly in need of paving. When you allocated [funds] per region, did you take this into consideration?" Herrera said.
DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, meanwhile, said that his agency was responsible for national roads while local governments oversee local roads.
"At this point in time what we can provide, support, is actually through the convergence programs and of course yung allocations under the legislative districts for the local projects," she said.
"But we cannot put in our core program the paving of local roads because...under Executive Order 138, these are already devolved to the LGU," she added.
Bonoan had earlier informed the House Appropriations Committee that the agency's funding would decrease by 8% from this year's level in 2024.
The 2024 National Expenditure Program allocates P822.2 billion to the DPWH, down from P894.2 billion in the 2023 General Appropriations Act. Particularly, capital expenditures will be reduced by 11% to P778.5 billion in 2024.
