Senator flags PCO’s P124-M DPWH project as outside core mandate

Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian on Saturday flagged an infrastructure project involving the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), questioning its alignment with the core mandate of the communications body.

According to the 2024 Commission on Audit (COA) report, the PCO contracted the DPWH in 2019 for the construction of Phase II of the Government Communication Academy in Bukidnon, initially worth P45.7 million.

A separate COA report from 2020 to 2023 lists a similar project but with a different amount of P79 million. Combined, the government has already spent P124 million on the project, which is now 90 percent complete.

“Bakit may communications office ang PCO sa Bukidnon? (Why does PCO have a communication office in Bukidnon?)” Gatchalian asked during the recent deliberation of the PCO’s 2026 proposed budget over the weekend.

The PCO explained that the project, initiated under the previous administration, was intended to serve as a training center for communication offices under the Office of the President and its attached agencies.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, warned that failing to complete the project could result in a wasted investment.

“We’ve already spent P124 million, and the project is 90 percent complete. If we don’t finish this, it becomes a white elephant,” he said.

No budget allocation for the project is included in the proposed 2026 national budget, as funding has already been allotted to complete the remaining 10% of construction.

The PCO plans to donate the facility to Northern Bukidnon State College once it is finished.

In a Viber message to reporters on Saturday, PCO Acting Secretary Dave Gomez echoed the senator’s concerns and agreed that the project should not have been pursued by the communications agency.

“I completely agree with Sen. Gatchalian’s opinion. The previous administration should not have engaged in such a public works project that falls outside our core responsibility,” Gomez said.

Gomez noted that the building’s donation to Northern Bukidnon State College is already being finalized.

“Many students in our state college in Bukidnon will benefit from it,” he added.