P3-B TIKAS fund transfer to DND sought

Citing poor project implementation, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is seeking to transfer the entire P3-billion budget allocation for the Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (TIKAS) Program from the Department of Public Works and Highways to the Department of National Defense (DND) starting in 2026.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, proposed the realignment during the deliberation of the DND’s proposed 2026 budget. He lamented that several military infrastructure projects, including some intended for the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in Pasay City, were tagged as “completed” despite remaining unfinished.

Among the projects Gatchalian highlighted were two multipurpose buildings worth P72 million and P51 million. Two other PAF projects, valued at P60 million and P17 million, remain incomplete due to insufficient funding.

“For 2026, we will transfer the P3 billion to the DND. What matters most is that every peso of the fund benefits our soldiers,” Gatchalian said.

He argued that the DND is in a better position to implement such projects because it fully understands the military’s operational needs and priorities.

“It’s a waste to have buildings that are already constructed but not being used. It would be better if the DND itself implemented the projects,” the senator added.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. confirmed the problem, stating that out of 944 TIKAS projects approved since the program began in 2019, only 648 have been completed, leaving many either unfinished or unusable.

The TIKAS Program is a joint effort aimed at building and upgrading military infrastructure such as barracks, hospitals and operational facilities for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.