THE P3-billion allocation for the Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (Tikas) Program from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should be transferred to the Department of National Defense (DND), since it has shown low completion rates and idle infrastructure projects.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the Senate Finance Committee chief, is advocating this transfer, noting the unfinished DPWH projects for the Air Force (PAF) in Pasay City: two multipurpose buildings worth P72 million and P51 million which were tagged as completed but remain unfinished. Two other PAF projects, valued at P60 million and P17 million respectively, also lack complete funding.
‘For 2026, let’s just move to the DND the P3 billion. What’s important is we finish the project and our soldiers benefit from every peso of the fund,’ Gatchalian said during the budget hearing for the DND and attached agencies on Tuesday.
He lamented the opportunity loss and the deterioration of assets that have been set up but are not fully used.
‘Sayang naman yung mga gusali, nakatayo pero hindi nagagamit. Mas mainam na ang DND na mismo ang magpatupad ng mga proyekto dahil sila naman ang nakakaalam ng kanilang mga pangangailangan [What a pity to have structures standing but unused. It’s better that DND itself implement the projects since they know best what they need],’ he added.
At the budget hearing, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro reported that out of 944 approved Tikas projects since 2019, only 648 have been completed, with several left unfinished or unusable.