President’s bridge program is lowest in cost, says NEDA

Department of Public Works and Highways Executive Director Emil Sadain of the President’s Bridge Program declared yesterday that Sen. Panfilo Lacson was grossly misinformed on the workings of the President’s Bridge Program (PBP) but said there is no problem rectifying this as the entire program is an open book.

"There are actually four foreign firms from donor countries supplying and/or constructing bridges in the Philippines. It is possible that Sinag Foundation who researched on these matters mistook the data of another-bridge supplier for that of the real President’s Bridge Program," Sadain said.

"The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) has a performance audit of these four companies: as of December 2004 Bridge Construction and Replacement Project handled by Waagner Biro of Austria; Bridge Construction of Rural Roads from JICA-Japan; Bridge Replacement Project of Belfour-Betty Supplier of United Kingdom; and the President’s Bridge Program (PBP) handled by Mabey & Johnson, also of the United Kingdom," Sadain explained.

"When President Joseph Estrada was concurrent DILG Secretary Waagner Biro of Austria started calling their project at DILG as the President’s Bridge Project which actually is not and Sinag Foundation may have mistaken data of Waagner-Biro of Austria’s projects as the data for the President’s Bridge Program of Mabey & Johnson," he stated. Waagner-Biro has also a bridge construction and replacement program at DPWH. This project is not part of the President’s Bridge Program, Sadain said.

NEDA December 2004 figures on comparative costing per lineal meter of the steel bridges supplied by these four sources showed that the President’s Bridge Program supplied by Mabey & Johnson is the lowest. The Austrian bridge source cost P559,150 per lineal meter, JICA-Japan source at P640,000 per lineal meter, Belfour-Belly of UK source at P555,000 per lineal meter and PBP Mabey & Johnson at P480,000 per lineal meter, which is the lowest among the suppliers’ cost.

"The play of figures in Sen. Lacson’s speech which may have been done in good faith is rather misleading as Sinag Foundation which is the source of the report may have also been misled," Sadain said.

According to him, the UK-assisted President’S Bridge Program (PBP) is an open book. There is nothing being hidden about it as the British government is closely monitoring the program.

The President’s Bridge Program is a continuing infra-program that has now spanned three administrations from President Ramos to President Estrada and now President Arroyo.

Sadain said there is actually nothing irregular or alarming about the project.