Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste has announced plans to push for amendments to the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) project bidding system and the existing procurement law.

In a radio interview, Leviste emphasized that reforms in these areas are crucial to addressing corruption linked to the controversial ghost and substandard flood control projects.

“Isa sa mga naisip ko ay baguhin ang sistema ng DPWH bidding, pati na rin po ang allocation ng mga proyekto. At sana itong lahat po ay mag-incentivize ng low-cost, good-quality project implementation,” he said.

Leviste added that the procurement law should also be reviewed to understand how contractors exploit loopholes, and to establish safeguards that would prevent similar issues from recurring.

“Saka silipin na rin yung procurement law. Baka naman napapaikutan lang yung procurement law,” he added.

The representative also proposed devolving infrastructure projects to local government units (LGUs), reasoning that projects implemented by LGUs are often more cost-efficient than those handled by the DPWH.

“Dahil ang comparison ko sa aking distrito, yung covered court na ginawa ng municipality ay mas mura kaysa yung covered court na gawa ng DPWH. Baka daw ang DPWH projects ay mas maraming mga dinadaanan. Pero kung LGU lang, at least mas efficient ang paggawa ng mga proyekto,” Leviste pointed out.