MANILA — Senator Erwin Tulfo is pushing for a unified project planning and monitoring system at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after it was revealed that grid coordinates used to locate alleged ghost flood control projects were inaccurate.

Tulfo, vice chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, raised the issue during a committee hearing, citing inconsistencies between the Multi-Year Programming and Scheduling (MYPS) system and the Project and Contract Management Application (PCMA).

“It seems po na hindi reliable ang MYPS coordinates. There are certain inconsistencies. Kasi po parang medyo magulo eh. Meron tayong MYPS, merong ika nga para sa PCMA. Ano ba talaga? Hindi ba pa pwedeng isa na lamang na coordinates?” Tulfo said.

He pointed out that MYPS is used to identify projects while PCMA is used to monitor them, noting that having different coordinates for each system could be problematic.

“Kasi magulo ito—through MYPS, we identify the project. Through PCMA, we monitor the project. So, hindi ata tama na magkaiba ang coordinates sa MYPS at PCMA,” he said.

Tulfo warned that the existence of two systems could open opportunities for corruption.

“Habang may mga grey areas tayo na ganito, yung mga malilikot ang isip, nakakapag-isip ng how to make money because there’s a grey area. Dala-dalawa po yung ikang coordinates natin. Pero kung iisa lamang po ito, di wala hong kawala,” he said.

Responding to the senator, DPWH Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III agreed that the agency should adopt a single planning and monitoring system for infrastructure projects.

“Sobrang agree po kami dyan. Tamang-tama po yung inyong sinabi. Kaya nga po meron po kami ang mga reporma ngayon to implement itong mga bagong systems, to improve the systems. In fact, meron nga po kami ng foreign assisted project to reform this application para nga po isa na lang ang coordinates na gamit po natin,” Bernabe said.

Bernabe added that the DPWH plans to launch a transparency portal and use satellite imaging to help monitor projects and reduce human intervention.

During the same hearing, Tulfo urged the DPWH to speed up the verification of the list of alleged ghost flood control projects nationwide.

“‘Yan po ang nirereklamo ng mga kababayan natin. Wala pong nahuhuli, wala pang nakukulong. Yun pala, may problema tayo… sa mga wrong coordinates kaya kailangan i-double check po natin,” Tulfo said.

He also warned that delays could erode public trust in the investigation.

“Habang tumatagal po ito, magkakaroon ng duda yung mga tao na baka may tinatakpan tayo sa sobrang tagal. And I’m sure you’ve heard of the words or phrase that justice delayed is justice denied. Sa sobrang tagal po nito, ika nga, baka may mga ma-abswelto, magka-aregluhan dahil sa sobrang bagal ho,” he added.

Bernabe said the verification of the 421 alleged flood control projects is nearing completion.

Meanwhile, acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida echoed Tulfo’s call for the DPWH to release the verified list of flood control projects so authorities can begin building cases against other individuals implicated in the flood control scandal.