The resignation of Cong. FM Romualdez, our Representative for the first district of Leyte, from the Speakership is seen as a huge letdown for the district. It seemed that we lost the district’s main backer in the flow of funds for the mega projects surrounding the district on all sides, in the shores, in the mountain sides, across a Bay, in the interior portions – a situation that has happened only now. In this sense it is a historical event.
However, the stepping down was done when the 2025 budget was already, in effect, substantially approved. Only the formalities of procedure like the controversial bicam meetings in Congress remained to be hurdled in the process. The infra expenditures were already safely budgeted. In another lingo – already in the bag. No worries.
There are complications. What is happening in other parts of the country is also happening here. And the presence of the same issues in our midst deserves an explanation from Cong. FM. Otherwise, his silence will mean that there are no justifiable reasons to explain these issues. Meaning, there is a problem like those observed in other districts of the country.
Rappler recently came out with data from the DPWH. These refer to multi-billion projects of Sunwest of Cong. Zaldy Co in Eastern Visayas. As well as many flood control projects in all provinces of the region that are also substandard, maybe even ghosts. Indeed, there are issues here.
Also, the Department of Transportation is implementing two major multi-billion peso infra projects in the District – the Tacloban Airport Development Project, and the Babatngon Port designated as a Transport Hub. Both projects will cost a combined over 30 billion pesos in the next three years when done and operational as intended.
It is clear that there is a lot of explaining to do about these projects, including the more that 100 million pesos farm-to-market road project of the Department of Agriculture in Brgy, San Roque, Tacloban City which was implemented by the Tacloban District Office of the DPWH. These projects usually cost no more than 10 million pesos. The difference is glaring and should be inspected by ICI.
The Sec. of the DOTr used to be Sec. Vince Dizon who is now the Sec. of DPWH. Because of this background information, I think Sec. Dizon will not be coming over to inspect these projects in the near future. It will cause a negative image for the District.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure has so far not provided a venue for Cong. Romualdez to explain the above. The focus now is the budget process. So we await the stage for explaining what is happening in this District.
Naturally, a lot of agreements are told and shared in these formalities in Congress. . Most of the action is not in these bicameral committee meetings. Decisions about budgets of projects in the Districts happen outside of those meetings as we have seen in the issues surrounding the 2025 budget process.
Replacing the Speaker made headlines. However, it looks like it will not change the funding flow to the District. It is going to be – business as usual.
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