Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. has expressed strong support for a proposal to transfer management of the Tatag ng Imprastruktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (TIKAS) program from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the Department of National Defense (DND) or the AFP itself.

Senator Win Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, raised the idea to transfer the P3-billion budget allocation for the TIKAS program from DPWH to DND during the deliberation for the 2026 proposed budget of DND and its attached agencies. 

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. supported the proposal, recommending that incomplete and unsustainable projects be scrapped. He also agreed that beginning in 2026, funding for TIKAS should be handled by the DND.

The DND earlier vowed to ensure a "judicious use" of the TIKAS funds to efficiently improve the country’s strategic defense priorities.

Brawner echoed this sentiment, telling reporters at Camp Aguinaldo on Friday that he is “very much in favor” of the AFP or DND directly managing TIKAS projects.

Currently, funding allocation for TIKAS projects is released through the DPWH. 

“And DPWH is the one that does the planning, the bidding, and the implementation of the project. For us in the AFP, we're the only ones who say what we need. Let's say barracks, training facilities, offices, and other infrastructure projects that we need.” Brawner said in an ambush interview.

Brawner dismissed allegations of “ghost” infrastructure projects under the TIKAS program.

“Because once we give DPWH our requirements, they come back to us with the plans. And we can see for ourselves that this is being done,” he said. 

“So we are the end-user. Ngayon, kami lang ang recipient, ang end-user, pero sa proposal na iyon, I am very much in favor. So that we can ensure there will be no ghost projects and that the projects will truly be of high quality,” he noted.

He added they will ensure that qualified contractors are hired and that the implementation is done properly, should the AFP engineers be unable to carry out the projects.

Brawner clarified that under the current setup, the DPWH oversees the entire process—from planning to implementation and inspection—while the AFP merely identifies infrastructure needs such as barracks, training grounds, and office buildings.

He then explained that some seemingly incomplete projects may be misunderstood due to phased construction, such as the multi-story Army headquarters building in Fort Bonifacio. 

“Now, regarding the completion of the projects, there are big projects like 10-story buildings in the headquarters of the Philippine Army, for instance. The 10-story building cannot be completed in a year. So what DPWH is doing is that they divide it into phases,” Brawner said.

A single phase may be marked as complete, but the entire project spans multiple years, he added. 

“But then again, I want to explain that the funds were released to DPWH; they're the ones doing it. Even in inspecting the projects, DPWH is doing it. Once the project is completed, that's the time they turn it over to us,” he said. 

Despite challenges, Brawner acknowledged that the AFP has already benefited from completed TIKAS projects, such as the grandstand at Camp Aguinaldo and several facilities at the 4th Infantry Division headquarters in Cagayan de Oro City. 

The AFP chief said the military will submit to the Senate a list of all unfinished TIKAS projects and urged the DPWH to prioritize their completion.