Applying KISS to DPWH and DOTC

This articles was originally posted at http://scopemix.wordpress.com/

Photo credit: http://www.construction-innovation.info/

Another agency which I observed to be redundant now is the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).  My reason for its abolishment is not so much due to its notoriety for corruption, but more because many of its functions overlap with other government units.  If you will dismantle DPWH now, you can actually distribute its different arms to other government national and local agencies.  Everything will still function after the streamlining.

Why do we have to waste so much of our limited resources?  DPWH has a big fleet of heavy equipments that are rotting.  Billions of pesos worth of assets are improperly managed.  It can help if they give some of these equipments to the local governments like cities and municipalities.  They can be better deployed for public infrastructure building and maintenance by the latter.

Construction of roads and highways are better served if contracted out to the private sector.  There will be more output with lesser corruption.

The best function that DPWH can do is planning.  However, this can be handled by other government agencies.  Road planning can be done by the Department of Transportation and Telecommunications (DOTC), flood control can be handled by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), local governments, etc.

Since the bulk of projects being carried out by DPWH is related to roads and bridges, if abolished,  most of its functions should be taken over by the DOTC.

But DOTC is already the biggest national government agency.  If it absorbs most of DPWH, better to spin off its Telecommunications function into a new agency.  The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on the other hand should be transferred to the Philippine National Police (PNP).  Why do the PNP have to create a maritime command when they can take PCG from the DOTC?  Its a win win situation.  PNP streamlines itself and at the same time helps DOTC streamline also.

P.S.
Whenever there are reorganizations like this, a great deal should be done to transfer the affected government employees to other agencies where their skills are needed.

More topics on good governance coming . . .