00:00 If it ain't broke, why fix it?
00:09 Senator Bato de la Rosa poses the question asked by many Filipinos when it comes to maintaining
00:14 public infrastructure.
00:15 "It's not broken yet.
00:16 They're just fixing it.
00:17 The broken part is not being fixed.
00:18 Why is the government spending money on this?
00:19 It's not broken yet.
00:20 They're just fixing it."
00:21 Public Works Secretary Manny Bonoan tells us that the government is not doing a good
00:22 job fixing the broken part.
00:23 "The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:24 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:25 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:26 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:27 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:28 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:29 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:30 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:31 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:32 The government is not doing a good job fixing the broken part.
00:33 "
00:34 Senator Bonoan tells a Senate Budget hearing that preventive maintenance costs less instead
00:35 of waiting for repairs when a structure breaks down.
00:38 "The structure is still in good condition but the pavement starts to deteriorate.
00:44 So it will be more economical to repave it at that point in time so that we can save
00:51 the base and sub-base.
00:54 We will not move the base and sub-base.
00:56 It's just the pavement that we're going to replace."
00:58 Bonoan adds the Public Works Department monitors the condition of roads and bridges through
01:04 a computerized system.
01:07 Asphalt roads should last for 15 years, concrete roads 25 years.
01:12 Maintenance repairs should be done from 5 to 8 years.
01:15 But Senator J. Viejercito shows photos of a street in the city of San Juan which had
01:21 three major repairs in just five years.
01:24 "This is already three floors.
01:26 The sidewalk is almost as high as the sidewalk."
01:28 He says this is also the case for some bridges.
01:32 Senators say heavy truck payload may be causing damage to roads like in Bulacan and Nueva
01:37 Isiha.
01:38 "In fact, it's called Bulacan, Lubacan.
01:42 Everyone knows about it.
01:43 They will avoid the weighing scale.
01:44 They will go to Governor Alili.
01:45 Sometimes there will be a checkpoint.
01:46 Sometimes they will be caught.
01:47 But after a while, they will be gone again."
01:48 Bonoan admits challenges to enforcing the anti-overloading law.
01:49 "The government is not doing anything about it.
01:50 It's just that the government is not doing anything about it.
01:51 It's just that the government is not doing anything about it.
01:52 It's just that the government is not doing anything about it.
01:53 It's just that the government is not doing anything about it.
01:54 It's just that the government is not doing anything about it.
01:55 to enforcing the anti-overloading law. He adds the allowable weight goes beyond the road carrying capacity.
02:02 But Senate Minority Leader Coco Pimentel points out the agency was involved in crafting the implementing rules and regulations.
02:10 When you said that 13,500 kilograms is one of the highest in the world, were you praising us for that
02:20 or were you criticizing that weight load as being too liberal?
02:27 To me, your honor, it's too liberal.
02:30 DPWH stresses the need to quickly fix any pothole. But despite being the agency with the biggest budget allocation,
02:39 DPWH says funding for the routine maintenance of roads and bridges remain a roadblock yearly.
02:46 The Public Works Department has a funding of less than 3 billion pesos this year for maintenance works.
02:52 The proposed budget next year is four times higher.
02:56 The Senate Committee on Finance has approved the agency's over 800 billion peso proposed budget.
03:02 Amor Santos, CNN, Philippines.
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