DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
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Traffic congestion has been one of the most challenging problems concerning road traffic management in the Philippines. Over the years, the country has been losing billions of pesos caused by traffic congestion. The inevitable increase in population growth rate depicts highly congested built up-areas, which bring difficulty in traffic flow. In view of this worsening traffic congestion, slower speeds, longer travel times and vehicular queuing are most likely to occur.
One of the important parameters in studying traffic congestion is travel time, which is a direct measurement of congestion. The reduction of travel time refers to the process of decreasing the amount of the total elapsed time of travel necessary for a vehicle to travel from one point to another point over a specified route under existing traffic condition. The objective of the reduction of travel time is to impact the growth and development of areas along the identified corridors by improving the mobility of vehicles and addressing traffic congestion.
DPWH aims to decongest and improve road traffic in the national road network by prioritizing projects for fund allocation that are prone to traffic congestion. The primary solution to the chronic traffic congestion is to improve the capacity of the existing road network by widening the existing road or to construct off-carriageway improvement and the establishment of a more efficient road highway network through the development of bypasses, diversion roads and expressways. With this, alternate routes along national primary roads shall be studied extensively to recognize potential flyovers, interchanges and underpasses that will significantly ease the flow of traffic in emerging cities and/or municipalities.
Enhancing the road network system refers to the process of improving the physical and operational characteristics of a network of roads to increase its capacity, efficiency, safety, and sustainability. This may involve upgrading existing roads, building new roads, adding or improving bridges and tunnels, enhancing signage and markings, improving intersections and traffic flow, and introducing green infrastructure to reduce environmental impacts.
The goal of enhancing the road network system is to improve mobility and connectivity, reduce congestion and travel times, enhance safety for all road users, and reduce the environmental impact of transportation. It is an ongoing process that requires careful planning, design, construction, and maintenance, and may involve collaboration among government agencies, transportation providers, and the public.
As the engineering arm of the Philippine government, the DPWH is mandated to improve the quality and safety of all the national road network in the country. Improvements in the road network quality and safety will be translated by ensuring that newly completed road projects meet the International Roughness Index (IRI) standard, critical intersections along national roads are provided with engineering solutions and that the national road network meet the three-star or better rating standard for road safety performance.
Building quality infrastructure, such as roads and highways, is essential to ensure safe and efficient transportation. Road smoothness, in particular, is an essential component of quality infrastructure, as it enhances driving comfort and safety while reducing vehicle wear and tear. Investing in pavement smoothness can lead to significant economic benefits by reducing vehicle operational costs, improving fuel efficiency, and increasing the lifespan of vehicles. By prioritizing the construction and maintenance of quality infrastructure with smooth roads, governments and communities can improve road safety, enhance driving experiences, and promote sustainable economic growth.
Road infrastructure that includes road safety engineering interventions will help reduce the severity and frequency of road crashes, increasing the overall road safety performance of national roads.
The IRI is a measure of the roughness of a road surface, commonly used to assess road conditions worldwide. The importance of road projects meeting the IRI standard cannot be overstated, as it directly impacts road safety, user comfort, and economic growth. Road projects being implemented meeting the IRI standard for the national road network in the Philippines ensures that roads have a longer lifespan, reduces the need for frequent repairs and maintenance, reduces the time required to transport goods and services, and improves road user comfort and ultimately contributing to economic growth.
Furthermore, road projects meeting the IRI standard are crucial for road safety. Poor road conditions can lead to road crashes, which can result in injury or loss of life. A smooth road surface reduces the risk of accidents, as it provides better tire traction, reduces braking distances, and improves vehicle stability.
DPWH, as one of the key players with responsibilities to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries on the national road network, will improve the safety performance of the road network by improving critical intersections along national roads with mobility and/or safety problems through the provision of appropriate engineering interventions such as geometric improvements, installation of traffic signals, grade separations, and other safety features.
The DPWH will also increase the percentage of national primary road length meeting a three-star or better rating standard, using the iRAP method. The road safety star rating will be used by the Department to prioritize road safety improvements and investments. By identifying roads with a lower star rating, resources will be optimized on interventions that will greatly improve safety and reduce the number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities on the road network. International studies have shown that death and injury rates are typically halved for each incremental improvement in road star ratings.
Typhoons, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions and landslides are some of the disasters present in the Philippines. As the National Government’s main engineering and construction arm, the DPWH endeavors to protect the lives and properties of Filipinos through construction of various damage mitigating structures, and aims to strengthen the disaster resilience of vulnerable communities.
Mitigating the damage experienced by various essential infrastructure is one of the best approaches in protecting lives and properties against natural disasters. As one of the most common hazards that the country faces is flooding, the DPWH must ensure that necessary flood control structures are constructed and completed based from the Master Plans and Feasibility Studies (MP/FS), especially along the major river basins in the country. Such flood control measures will not only improve disaster resiliency, but will also help foster the socio-economic development within previously flood-prone areas.
As the country continues to plunge into the golden age of infrastructure development, the DPWH must ensure that the critical infrastructure (bridges along national roads, and essential buildings) constructed are not only safe and in good quality, but are also adaptive to the challenges brought by climate change and other natural disasters. Infrastructures must be able to withstand natural disasters without sustaining major structural damages, and remain operational to facilitate unimpeded mobilization of people, equipment, and other resources, and quick disaster response.
The harmonization of multi-year planning and sound fiscal management ensures that priority, strategic and high-impact programs/activities/projects (P/A/P), identified through a process of careful and rigorous multi-year planning, review, and evaluation, will be given sufficient funding, assuring that the same will be implemented timely and efficiently, consistent with the originally planned schedules and desired outcomes. In general, what is planned should be properly funded, and all that is funded should be what is mandated and planned.
This process involves coordinating the efforts of multiple stakeholders to ensure that the Department’s financial resources are used efficiently, and that plans for future investments and expenditures are made with a clear understanding of the Department's long-term goals. By harmonizing multi-year planning and sound fiscal management, Department can make informed decisions about how to allocate resources, prioritize initiatives, and manage risks, while remaining financially sustainable over the long term.
To guarantee optimal performance and safety of infrastructure, adherence to current design guidelines, criteria, and standards is necessary. This involves compliance with regulations, industry codes, national and international standards, and government regulations while keeping at pace with the latest technology changes and trends. This is monitored through the evaluation of the capability of the design engineers of the Implementing Offices (Regional and District Engineering Offices – Planning and Design Division/Section) and identifies areas for improvement in accordance with the latest design guidelines, criteria, and standards. Further, it ensures the effective and efficient implementation of the quality policy of the Department by evaluating the detailed architectural and engineering design works and processes undertaken by the Implementing Offices.
The DPWH is committed to the on-time delivery of quality infrastructure projects for the immediate realization of its benefits to the lives of the Filipino people. Integral to this commitment is to strategize the procurement process to accelerate acquisition while ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Awarding of contracts shall be facilitated through conduct of early procurement activities while waiting for the approval of the General Appropriations Act (GAA), and expeditious procurement of projects with immediate release right after approval of the GAA.
Compliance with the latest construction standards is the Regional and District Engineering Offices’ abidance with the latest policies and issuances relating to both pre-construction and construction standards such as cost estimation, contract management, and project implementation. These can be translated to the accuracy of the prepared Program of Works (POW) and Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) obtained from the conduct of the annual cost estimation audit, and the achievement of minimum physical targets as reported in the Project and Contract Management Application (PCMA).
Further, compliance with the latest construction standards is translated by the result of the annual quality assurance rating as obtained from the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) Reports. An efficient quality assurance in project implementation as translated by acceptable quality assurance rating would result to conformance with construction standards thereby maximizing the life span of the infrastructure and eventually reducing maintenance cost.
Continuous improvement in the maintenance service delivery for the public by preserving the national government infrastructure assets, as much as possible, to its as-constructed condition, has been part of the Department’s core function and commitment over the years. The relative policy and guidelines in the operation and monitoring of the Implementing Offices (District Offices and Regional Offices) vis-à-vis road and bridge maintenance as well as the performance assessment mechanism therefore have been constantly revisited and updated. The IOs’ conformance to the latest road network maintenance policy and guidelines will lead to quality service delivery and extended service life of roads and bridges.
A high-trust culture is one where each personnel feel valued, satisfied and confident with the organization as their human resource needs are met and a conducive working environment is provided. The DPWH aims to nurture such a culture where its internal stakeholders and management are imbued with the core values of integrity, professionalism and excellence, working together towards a common mission of providing quality public service.
An assessment of the stakeholders’ (i.e., general public, citizen/client/customer) level of awareness and approval to the delivered public service including perceived adequacy and quality based on their expectation of the DPWH performance. Further, as an ISO 9001:2015 certified organization that fully supports the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Effective Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, the need to establish a systematic mechanism to capture stakeholder feedback is a must. There is no better way toward continuous improvement in service delivery than to gauge those who will experience it – the general public.
Increase in ICT-enabled processes refers to the measurable improvement in the adoption, integration, and utilization of ICT tools and systems in the various business processes within the Department. Aligned with the effort of enhancing the bureaucratic efficiency, integrating ICT into business processes is necessary to adopt digital transformation amidst the growing demand for automation and changing business landscape brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the adoption of ICT-enabled solutions, DPWH can streamline its operations by removing inefficiencies, improve stakeholder experiences by introducing online services, and facilitate data-driven decision-making through analytics resulting to quality service delivery that is responsive to the needs of the Filipino people.
The Department’s human capital is crucial in delivering quality and safe infrastructure. Enhancing competencies means capacitating personnel, thru training and/or immersion programs, with the proper knowledge, tools, and skill set that will enable them to carry out specific tasks effectively, efficiently, and safely. Consequently, optimizing the utilization of human resources means maximizing the Department’s investment in human capital by purposely assigning the right people to handle the right tasks.
The in-house accreditation of Project and Materials Engineers, collectively termed Field Engineers (FEs), guarantees that those who are accredited are not only trained, but also experienced and competent professionals capable of handling construction projects and performing quality assurance activities. Enhancing competencies and optimizing the utilization of human resources will improve both the government’s and the public’s confidence by showing that the entire pool of Field Engineers that the Department can offer is assigned to handle DPWH projects. Thus, the investment in training and development of accredited field engineers to ensure their optimal performance is accrued.
The strategic lifecycle management of DPWH land- and water- based equipment fleet through demand-based acquisition, safe and proper operations, reliability-centered maintenance, and timely disposal, guided by international standards and sustainable development goals. To ensure the desired available and capable fleet that supports the DPWH core functions, including flood control management and disaster quick response, a holistic approach in measuring Fleet Management Performance while sustaining the established Levels of Service must be established.
This will enable a data-driven allocation of required resources to the entire Fleet and Support Facilities. DPWH equipment units must therefore manage overall Fleet Availability, overall Fleet Utilization, Fleet Facility and Shop Management, Environment, Health, Safety, Quality, Overall Fleet Resources, and adherence to Development Goals and Fleet Innovations.
Infrastructure spending is a very effective tool in influencing economic growth and the Department plays a critical role in achieving this goal of the country. To sustain relatively faster growth in the coming years, the government plans to spend 5% to 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on infrastructure annually, a huge portion of which comes under the responsibility of the DPWH, being one to receive bigger allocation from the government’s annual budget. To deliver results, the Department has to translate this budget into disbursements.
As spending spurs economic activities, the disbursement will help ensure that Department targets are met in support to the attainment of national economic goals. Higher disbursement ratio equates to greater implementing capacity of the Department and higher efficiency in the delivery of services to the public.