Secretary's Corner
HON.
ROGELIO L. SINGSON
DPWH INAUGURAL SPEECH
July 5, 2010
ALLOW ME TO THANK
SECRETARY VIC DOMINGO FOR HIS ADVICE AND HIS WARM WELCOME TO THE
DPWH. MARAMING SALAMAT SECRETARY DOMINGO. I KNOW SECRETARY DOMINGO
HAS DONE MANY GOOD THINGS FOR DPWH IN HIS SHORT STINT.
MAGANDANG UMAGA SA
INYONG LAHAT AT SA ATING MGA BISITA.
NAPAKA LIWANAG ANG
MGA BINITIWANG SALITA NG ATING BAGONG PANGULONG NOYNOY AQUINO. SABI
NIYA SA TAONG BAYAN: KAYO ANG BOSS KO. KAILANGAN ANG MALAKING
PAGBABAGO SA PAMAMALAKAD NG GOBYIERNO. SINABI DIN NIYA SA AKIN NA
INAASAHAN NG BUONG BAYAN ANG PAGBABAGO. LALO NA DITO SA DPWH. ANG
TAONG BAYAN ANG ATING PAGSISILBIHAN AT HINDI ANG ATING SARILI O KUNG
SINO PANG NAG HAHARI-HARIAN DITO SA BAYAN.
PEOPLE EXPECT A
BIG CHANGE IN DPWH. I AM HERE TO SERVE THE PEOPLE AND I AM HERE TO
LEAD DPWH TO A NEW BEGINNING, TO START A NEW WAY OF DOING THINGS,
NEW CULTURE AND VALUES TO CHANGE THE IMAGE OF DPWH WHICH IS THE
CLAMORE OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY. WE WANT TO RESTORE PUBLIC TRUST IN
DPWH. IT CANNOT BE BUSINESS AS USUAL OR SHOULD I SAY BUSINESS AS
“UNUSUAL”. THERE HAS TO BE A MAJOR CHANGE AND A MAJOR
TRANSFORMATION.
AS OF THE MOMENT,
LET ME SHARE WITH YOU KEY STRATEGIC POLICY DIRECTIONS WHICH WE WILL
CONTINUE TO DISCUSS AND REFINE WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE EXCOM
OF THE DEPARTMENT.
1. FIRST,
WE WILL ADOPT A POLICY OF FULL TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO
THE PEOPLE.
FOLLOWING THE
STATEMENT OF PRESIDENT AQUINO IN SERVING THE FILIPINO PEOPLE WITH
HONESTY AND INTEGRITY, WE WILL HAVE TO BE VERY TRANSPARENT AND
OBJECTIVE IN PROJECT SELECTION, BIDDING AND AWARDING OF PROJECTS. I
WILL SEEK AND EVEN PLEAD FOR THE COOPERATION OF THE MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS, POLITICIANS AND LGUS TO HELP US IN ENSURING THE INTEGRITY
AND TRANSPARENCY OF ALL PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS. I WILL OPEN UP DPWH
AND ENGAGE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
GOVERNANCE, MONITORING AND FEEDBACK. WE NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT IN
ALL OUR TRANSACTIONS.
2. SECOND,
WE WILL WORK TO CURB THE LEAKAGE AND REDUCE CORRUPTION TO OPTIMIZE
THE USE OF OUR BUDGET. WE HAVE TO OPTIMIZE OUR BUDGET BY REDUCING
LEAKAGE AND WASTEFUL USAGE.
WE HAVE TO
IMPLEMENT PRUDENTLY AND EFFICIENTLY HIGH IMPACT PROJECTS WHICH WILL
HELP POVERTY ALLEVIATION. WITH STRONG TOURISM IMPACT AND EMPLOYMENT
GENERATION. WE WILL NEED TO REVIEW OUR DESIGN, QUALITY AND SAFETY
STANDARDS AND OUR COST ESTIMATES WITH END IN VEIW OF OPTIMIZING THE
BUDGET.
3. THIRD,
IMPROVE EFFICIENCY BY REDUCING RED TAPE (REAL OR APPARENT) AND
STREAMLINE OUR PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES.
WE WILL
HAVE TO REVIEW THE WAY WE DO THINGS IN THE DEPARTMENT. LET US NOT
DO THINGS SIMPLY BECAUSE “GANYAN NA DATI AND AMING GINAGAWA”. WE
WILL NEED TO INNOVATE AND STREAMLINE OUR PROCEDURES. WE WILL
RATIONALIZE AND RIGHT SIZE THE ORGANIZATION. FIRST TO GO WILL BE
15-30 EMPLOYEES AND THOSE WHO ARE HERE ONLY AS POLITICAL
ACCOMODATIONS. REWARDS AND PROMOTIONS WILL HAVE TO BE BASED ON
MERIT AND GOOD PERFORMANCE AND NOT BY WHO YOU KNOW. BAWAL ANG
PALAKASAN.
4. FOURTH,
WE NEED TO CHANGE THE CULTURE AND VALUES TO TRANSFORM THE
ORGANIZATION TO RESTORE THE PUBLIC TRUST IN DPWH.
WE WILL DEFINE
CLEARLY OUR MISSION AND WE WANT ALL DPWH EMPLOYEES TO SHARE IN THIS
MISSION. ALL EMPLOYEES, WHATEVER THEIR POSITION INCLUDING THE LOWLY
RANK AND FILE, HAVE A CONTRIBUTION TO OUR PUBLIC SERVICE MISSION.
I WILL LEAD THIS
DEPARTMENT BY EXAMPLE. THIS IS WHAT I TOLD PRESIDENT AQUINO WHEN I
ACCEPTED THIS POSITION, THIS IS ALL ABOUT SACRIFICE AND LOVE OF GOD
AND COUNTRY. I REALIZE THAT WE ALSO HAVE TO CHANGE HOW CONTRACTORS,
SUPPLIERS, POLITICIANS, ELECTED OFFICIALS DEAL AND TRANSACT BUSINESS
WITH DPWH. DPWH EMPLOYEES SPECIALLY THE FRONTLINERS, ARE EMPLOYEES
OF DPWH AND NOT EMPLOYEES OR EVEN WORSE, ACT AS MIDDLEMEN AND
COLLECTORS FOR CONTRACTORS, POLITICIANS AND OTHER QUESTIONABLE
PERSONALITIES.
SO THESE FOUR IN
THE MEANTIME WILL BE OUR STRATEGIC POLICY DIRECTION SO EVERYONE WILL
KNOW WHERE I AM COMING FROM AND WHERE WE WANT TO GO.
IN TERMS OF
PRIORITY PROJECTS AS DISCUSSED BY PRESIDENT AQUINO, WE WILL FOCUS ON
THE FOLLOWING:
1) REDUCE
THE BACKLOG IN SCHOOL BUILDINGS WORKING WITH DEPED;
2) FLOOD
CONTROL PROJECTS TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE AND AVOID MILLIONS LOST
DUE TO FLOODING;
3) STRATEGIC
TOURISM SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IN COORDINATION WITH OTHER INFRA
AGENCIES AND LGUS;
4) DEVELOP
MORE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR MUCH NEEDED INFRASTRUCTURE AND
LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR INVESTMENTS;
5) ENHANCING
MAJOR THOROUGHFARES TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC AND SAFETY SITUATION IN URBAN
CENTERS AND TOURIST DESTINATIONS.
WITH ALL THESE KEY
CHANGES WE WILL ALWAYS EXPECT ENEMIES OF REFORM. PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS
WANT TO STAY IN THEIR COMFORT ZONES SPECIFICALLY IF THEY ARE ALREADY
LITERALLY VERY COMFORTABLE WHERE AND HOW THEY ARE DOING THEIR JOB.
BUT THIS SITUATION CANNOT GO ON. THERE HAS TO BE A CHANGE.
KAILANGAN ANG MALAWAK AT MALALIM NA PAGBABAGO.
I AM THEREFORE
APPEALING TO ALL OF YOU, FOR THE SAKE OF OUR COUNTRYMEN AND THE
FUTURE GENERATIONS, SPECIFICALLY THE MARGINALIZED AND THE POOR, FOR
US TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND ONLY FOR THE GOOD AND INTEREST OF THE
GENERAL PUBLIC. LET US SHOW THE WHOLE COUNTRY THAT WE ARE
DETERMINED TO CHANGE.
I THEREFORE CALL
ON ALL PEACE LOVING, RIGHTEOUS AND GOD FEARING EMPLOYEES OF DPWH TO
JOIN ME AS WE ENTER THE “NARROW GATE AND WALK THE NARROW ROAD” WHICH
WILL LEAD US TO A NEW DPWH AND A NEW HOPE FOR OUR COUNTRY.
KAILANGAN NATIN ANG PAGBABAGO NGAYON, UMPISA SA BAWAT ISA SA ATIN,
KASAMA NA AKO.
IN CLOSING, LET US
ALL BOW OUR HEADS AS WE PRAY, MANALANGIN PO TAYO LAHAT.
LOVING LORD, WE
GLORIFY AND PRAISE YOU TODAY AS WE EMBARK ON OUR TRANSFORMATION TO
GIVE OUR COUNTRYMEN AND NEW BEGINNING, A NEW HOPE FOR A BETTER LIFE
OF EQUALITY, PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
WE SEEK YOUR
GUIDANCE AND GRACE AS WE WALK THROUGH THE NARROW ROAD TO A NEW LIFE.
BLESS EACH AND
EVERY EMPLOYEE OF DPWH THAT WE MAY HAVE THE COURAGE AND THE
PERSEVERANCE TO EMBARK ON A NEW WAY OF LIFE. GABAYNA MO PO KAMI
PANGINOON. BIGYAN MO PO KAMI NG LAKAS NG LOOB UPANG MAGBAGO AT
MAGSILBE SA BAYAN NG MATAPAT AT MATUWID.
FINALLY LOVING
LORD, BY YOUR GUIDANCE AND GRACE, MAY ALL OUR DAILY DECISIONS AND
ACTIONS BE FOR YOUR GREATER GLORY AND NOT FOR SELF INTERESTS. ALL
OF THESE WE ASK IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF YOUR SON JESUS CHRIST. AMEN.
MARAMING MARAMING
SALAMAT SA INYONG LAHAT. AT MAGANDANG UMAGA.
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