PUBLIC Works Secretary Mark A. Villar expressed optimism on Monday his department is ready for the Malacañang-backed cash-based budgeting system for 2019 despite the challenges the new system will pose, particularly in the planning and implementation of big-ticket projects.
“We will comply because that is the government policy. As you have noticed, the basis of our budget next year is cash based, so there was some adjustment,” Villar said in an interview after a Senate hearing on the proposed P555.7-billion budget for 2019 for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). He said the biggest challenge that the DPWH would have to hurdle under the new system will be on planning.
“The challenge in the cash-based is definitely in the planning. In our planning, we should anticipate what projects we can finish within a year,” he said. “So it’s quite challenging for the planning department, but we can do it.”
Despite the challenges, Villar assured that the cash-based system would not delay big infrastructure projects being pushed by the Duterte administration.