SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) plan to align construction material prices with market rates, saying the projected P60-billion savings should be redirected to basic government services that directly benefit Filipinos.
Cayetano said the funds can strengthen priority sectors such as education, health, and social aid where additional resources are urgently needed to reinforce existing programs.
“If we go to the programs of all the departments, ang gaganda ng mga programa but that’s not our question. You might be hitting the target pero mali target mo,” he said.
The senator said for one, utilizing the DPWH’s target savings can help curb the alarming effects of child stunting, emphasizing that addressing it early will give the “best return on investment” because it will prevent bigger challenges for the government later on.
“Marami sa stunted na bata ang magiging future PWDs. The more that we take care of the stunting now, the less we have to spend on the interventions later on,” he said.
Cayetano also said the savings can address classroom shortages that have caused double and triple shifting in many public schools through coordinated and targeted construction efforts, citing the City of Taguig as a model for managing school shifting schedules.
“Maybe we can take Taguig as an example because we started building seven-storey buildings na may elevator,” he said.
He also reiterated his long-standing push for stronger financial aid programs, saying government savings should help families struggling with rising prices and the continuing impact of inflation.
Cayetano said the DPWH’s effort to lower material costs is a good start toward more accountable spending, but emphasized that the real challenge is ensuring that the savings reach sectors that have long suffered from limited budgets.
He added that true reform in public spending is not only about saving money but also about making sure government funds uplift lives and serve their intended purpose.
“You cannot have good governance if you have a corrupt mentality,” he said. (Manny D. Balbin)
