(Photo courtesy of LTFRB-3)
MANILA – The corruption issues hounding the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) must not hinder the implementation of infrastructure projects for the transport sector, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said Friday.
“I think that the infrastructure projects are already in the various stages of implementation and identification. The ones that we are implementing have been long well-identified there in the Public Investment Programs (PIP),” Balisacan said, referring to the program which contains the priority programs and projects (PAPs) within the medium-term to attain the goals and targets in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.
“So, kung hindi naman directly related doon sa issue na niri-raise (if these [projects] are not related to the issues that have been raised), then I think we should proceed,” he added.
Balisacan’s statement came after Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to suspend the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), which has been marred with corruption allegations.
On Monday, Jefferson Tumbado, the former executive assistant of LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III, accused the latter of corruption, exposing the supposed bribery scheme in exchange for the issuances of permits for transport routes and franchises.
Tumbado later withdrew his accusations and said in a sworn affidavit they were "unintentional and misguided."
He apologized to Guadiz, DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista and the Office of the President, and said "things were just said out of impulse and irrational thinking, misjudgment and poor decision-making."
Tumbado has been asked to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation on Monday to shed light on his accusations but his subpoena was not delivered on Friday due to incorrect postal address.
Prior to the controversy hounding the LTFRB, the DOTr said in September that it would push through with the implementation of the PUVMP despite getting zero funding for 2024.
Balisacan said the government could not afford delaying the infrastructure projects aimed at developing the transport sector.
“Because you remember these infrastructure deficits, our backlogs have been placed so long ago, and that’s why we have difficulty bringing in investors because they look at how the kind of infrastructure you get, how costly it is to move goods and services, how costly your electricity, how costly ‘yung mga (are) port services, airport services,” he said.
“We can’t afford to wait further. Naiwanan na tayo eh (We have been left behind). That’s the urgency of this administration,” Balisacan added.
Balisacan said there have been delays in the implementation of some infrastructure projects which need to be addressed “quickly.”
He said the Philippines needs to catch up, given that the countries that were poorer in the 1970s "are now much, much richer than us.”
“And if there are problems and issues, they should deal with those issues directly but do not hostage the entire government. Kaya kung wala namang issue doon (If there is no issue [with other projects]), why do you stop?” he added.
Balisacan said concerned government agencies should come up with catch-up plans to ensure that the infrastructure projects would be completed on time.
“Very costly ‘yung ma-delay na projects (It is very costly if the projects are delayed). The benefits are delayed, you know and then the costs also become later more expensive,” he said.
The PUVMP consolidation deadline has been moved from December 2021 to June 2022, then to March 2023, June 2023 and Dec. 31, 2023. (PNA)
