Public Works and Highways Secretary Florante Soriquez, addressing employees of the DPWH during the agency’s 105th anniversary, said this is a strategy shift that will take advantage of latest developments in information technology for faster and transparent implementation of projects.
Noting that the agency is as old as the Republic’s independence, he asked workers to be guided by the lessons in the last 105 years, adding that advances in technology "should help us improve performance in the next 105 years of the department."
He looked back at contributions of the DPWH in nation building claiming that the agency built the roads that "breathed life to economies even in remotest barangays in the countryside."
"Our leaders before us make us proud of the DPWH. The challenge is on us to match their dedication to the vision of the agency," he said, adding that the higher challenge, though, is to improve on what they have built "for our generation for we are building structures for the next generations."
Soriquez reminded DPWH workers of President Arroyo’s expectations, saying, "We have a President who is determined to put in place the necessary infrastructures to give life to our national economy. And the department plays a very critical role in the fulfillment of the President’s vision."
According to Soriquez the DPWH will take every step necessary to speed up completion of projects that impact on the national economy and bring better opportunities in the countryside.