MANILA, Philippines — The completion of 2,395 locally funded projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with an aggregate cost of P96.219 billion has been delayed, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).
The projects include school buildings and farm-to-market roads.
The COA said delays in the implementation of the projects were mainly due to the “inadequate planning, detailed engineering, supervision and monitoring” of the DPWH.
At least 1,798 of the projects, with a total cost of P60.078 billion, were not completed within the specific contract time or completion dates.
A total of 413 projects amounting to P27.474 billion were suspended.
Ninety projects with an aggregate cost of P5.114 billion were terminated or are up for termination while 94 others worth P3.553 billion have not been started as of the end of 2022.
The COA said the project delays should be immediately addressed.
The audit body also flagged the DPWH for defects in 653 infrastructure projects amounting to P369.173 million.
In its 2022 annual audit report on the DPWH, the COA said the defects were due to the lack of proper monitoring and supervision.
Among the technical defects and deficiencies observed were the use of inferior quality or substandard materials and poor workmanship.
In some projects, the COA said the actual work accomplishments were less than what was reported and paid for.
The defects may ”compromise” public safety, cause further destruction of the infrastructure and result in wastage of government funds, the COA said.