By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday directed his Cabinet and heads of agencies to make sure government projects are completed “on time and within budget.”
Marcos’ fresh directive came, in the wake of his order for all Cabinet secretaries, heads of agencies with Cabinet rank, other heads of agencies, and presidential advisers and assistants to resign from their respective posts, in line with his bid for a “bold reset” of the government.
During the presentation of Republic Acts (RA) 12154 and 12180 in a ceremony at Malacañan Palace in Manila, Marcos admitted that the government is “in flux,” following his mass resignation order.
“Hamon ko sa Gabinete at mga pinuno ng ahensya, siguruhing matatapos ang mga proyekto ng ayon sa schedule at sa budget (My challenge to the Cabinet and agency leaders is to ensure that projects are completed on schedule and within budget),” Marcos said.
“Hindi na tayo papayag na may masyadong cost-overrun, mayroong mga time extension wala namang makatwirang dahilan (We will no longer tolerate excessive cost overruns, time extensions without justifiable reasons, and no to non-performing projects),” he added.
Marcos also stressed the need to carefully look into all the Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans, especially those that have been delayed.
He added that the approval of ODA loans will be stricter starting now.
“Kasabay nito, nangangako tayo na magiging mas mahusay at tapat ang pamahalaan sa paggugol ng pondo ng bayan. Sa ganitong paraan, mas tataas ang kalidad ng ating buhay (At the same time, we promise that the government will be more efficient and honest in spending public funds. In this way, our quality of life will increase),” the President said.
Marcos assured the public that his administration, with the help of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) which was created by virtue of RA 12145, would ensure the completion and full implementation of its priority projects.
He also acknowledged that government efforts will be in vain, if the country lacks disaster preparedness.
He said RA 12180, which modernizes the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), improves the agency’s capability to monitor and respond to calamities and natural hazards.
“Alam natin na ang Pilipinas ay nasa Pacific Ring of Fire. Lindol, pagputok ng bulkan, at iba pang sakuna—hindi na iyan bago sa atin. Hindi rin puwedeng iasa sa swerte ang ating kapakanan at kaligtasan. Kailangang laging tayong handa sa maaaring pinsalang dala ng kalikasan (We know that the Philippines is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other disasters—that is not new to us. We cannot rely on luck for our well-being and safety. We must always be prepared for the potential damage caused by nature),” Marcos said.
Marcos also told the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Phivolcs to maintain the high quality of service, professionalism and love for the country, stressing that the modernization efforts will be meaningless if they have no passion for their work.
“Sa ilalim ng Phivolcs Modernization Act, mas mapapabilis ang paghahatid ng sapat at napapanahong impormasyon na makakatulong sa ating pagharap sa kalamidad (Under the Phivolcs Modernization Act, the delivery of adequate and timely information that will help us deal with disasters will be expedited),” he said. (PNA)
