The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is conducting a comprehensive review of the present functions and organizations of DPWH offices to enhance productivity, improve service delivery, and eliminate redundant, duplicative and overlapping in the agency and other government units.

Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, Chairperson of the DPWH Overall Committee on Rightsizing spearheaded the conduct of series of review meetings with the four (4) Sub-Committees namely Non-Technical Services headed by Assistant Secretary Marichu A. Palafox, Technical Services and Bureaus headed by Chairperson and Assistant Secretary Constante A. Llanes Jr. and Vice Chair and OIC-Assistant Secretary Medmier G. Malig, Field Offices led by OIC-Undersecretary Eric A. Ayapana and Assistant Secretary Rey Peter B. Gille, and Unified Project Management Office led by Project Director Rodrigo I. Delos Reyes to come up with an overall proposal of rightsized organizational structure that can facilitate service delivery at reasonable cost for government by having right mix of staffing and systems in support of the National Government Rightsizing Program (NGRP).

The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. cited the NGRP as among the priority measures as a reform mechanism to enhance the government’s institutional capacity to perform its mandate and to provide better services while ensuring optimal and efficient use of resources.

Senior Undersecretary Sadain said that although the Rightsizing Bill is still under consideration of the Philippine Senate after it passed the Lower House, the DPWH thru Department Order 233 issued on November 11, 2022 by Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan created a Committee on Rightsizing to identify areas where improvements are necessary and more resources, including human resources, need to be rechanneled.

The respective Directors from the Sub-Committees of the DPWH Committee on Rightsizing presented at the meetings recommended structural, functional and operational adjustments, with emphasis on improving performance and productivity and with due consideration to avoid hiring of Contract of Service (COS)/ Job Order (JO) workers performing regular functions in compliance to the updated rules and regulations governing COS and JO workers in the government.

While there was generally an upward trend in the appropriation of government funds for various infrastructure projects, it is important to examine the total number of available permanent positions from administrative to technical for frontline services/functions of the Department, added Senior Undersecretary Sadain.

The rightsizing of the government is in line with efforts to make the bureaucracy more effective, efficient, responsive and progressive.

Once everything is finalized, the proposed DPWH organizational structure and staffing pattern will be submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). (Dpwhpio/Renante Arjay Jarobel)