COTABATO CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DPWH-ARMM) vowed to boost infrastructure projects across the region as it keeps up with the reform agenda of the Autonomous Regional Government.
Engr. Don Mustapha Loong, DPWH-ARMM secretary, said the good governance practices introduced by the present ARMM administration have transformed the department into one of the most competent line agencies in the ARMM.
He said the reforms included prudent fiscal management and a policy of transparency and accountability among the department’s officials and employees.
The DPWH-ARMM, he said, has enforced, for the first time in the history of the ARMM, an open and competitive bidding and procurement process in line with RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Sec. Loong said the agency’s transformation contributed to better public expenditure and made possible the implementation of more infrastructure projects in the region.
The DPWH-ARMM’s budget consistently increased from P1 billion in 2012 to P10 billion in the current fiscal year. It has targeted to pave a total of 1,031.285 kilometers of roads across the region from 2012 to 2015. As of October 2015, it has already concreted 348.471 kilometers, while a total of 562.272 kilometers of road concreting projects are presently on-going.
Sec. Loong said the bigger budgetary allocation is a historic milestone that allowed the department to construct new roads and other infrastructure facilities.
He said the massive infrastructure projects have allowed the DPWH-ARMM to contribute to job generation in the region.
On Wednesday, November 4, the agency marked its 25th anniversary. Sec. Loong said the department is gearing towards getting an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 certification to help boost the performance of the agency.
According to the ISO website, the ISO 9001 series is a “set of international standards for quality management and quality assurance. The standards were developed to help government, private enterprises, and companies effectively document the elements they need to maintain an efficient quality system. ISO 9001 certification on the other hand helps ensure that customers get consistent, good quality products and services, which in turn brings many business benefits.”
Sec. Loong said that every employee, regardless of rank, can contribute to the department’s ISO-certification bid and in the successful implementation of its various programs and projects.
Meanwhile, ARMM Vice-Governor Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman lauded the DPWH-ARMM for its contributions to the reforms in the ARMM and in the improvement of the delivery of basic government services in the region. (Bureau of Public Information)
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