DAR’s ‘PBBM Bridges’ project questioned amid UK modular bridges stock

The P28.3-billion foreign-assisted project of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) dubbed "PBBM Bridges" has been questioned in the Senate, as one senator pointed out that there were already many modular bridge materials in stock from a previous foreign-aided project.

The concern was raised during the Senate finance subcommittee's deliberations on DAR's proposed P18.229-billion budget for 2025.

According to DAR Undersecretary for Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Office Jesry Palmares, the total budget for the "PBBM Bridges" project is P28.23 billion. Of this amount, P5 billion will be the contribution of the Philippine government while the P23 billion will be from loan proceeds.

Palmares said the bridge program, which will cover 350 bridges and is set to commence next year, was approved by the NEDA board last November and is currently being negotiated with Korean Exim Bank.

For next year, the DAR is seeking P2.305 billion under unprogrammed funds to provide the Philippine government's part in the foreign-assisted project.

It was Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino who asked the DAR to explain the project's difference with the previous bridges program, which includes modular bridges granted by the UK to the Philippines that are now stocked in warehouses in Mariveles, Bataan.

"How would you differentiate this with the former bridges program? Kasi yung former bridges program...parang modular lang dati coming from the United Kingdom. This was secured, procured through an agreement with the United Kingdom," Tolentino said.

"Unfortunately, most of the structural materials were just placed, or in a librarian’s term, archived, in some warehouses out there in Mariveles, Bataan,” he added.

Palmares said that the difference is that the 350 bridges in the "PBBM" project were "specifically identified" by DAR and was presented to NEDA.

"The good thing is all bridges, individual areas were validated...and all are bridges were in actual site inspected. Unlike before, all the other areas... it was an open-ended, they did not even identify, they did not even actual site inspect, they did not even check the EIRR [economic internal rate of return]," he said.

"That's why they failed in the implementation and checking on where it has to be in place...because it has to be placed in an area where there is no production. So the unproductive lands were identified by NEDA," he added.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III also said that while both projects involve modular bridges, "the big difference" in this "PBBM" one is that the substructure is concrete. It also includes a provision for the approaches of the bridges.

Estrella explained that these bridges are "intended to provide support to our agrarian reform beneficiaries...The study conducted by the DPWH is that this bridge will be good enough to transport the goods of the farmers. This is the very purpose of this bridge."

"In identifying these bridges, we have consulted our agrarian reform communities," the DAR secretary said.

Most of these bridges will be constructed in Visayas and Mindanao, he added.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel asked the DAR to provide a report on the UK bridges program that will provide an explanation for their storage in Bataan.

“How much loan did we incur? Magkano ang na-waste natin? Kaninong time ito? Because I want to find out kung may kalokohan ba dito," Pimentel said, which was backed by subcommittee chairperson Cynthia Villar.

According to DAR, they are not the implementing agency on the UK bridges.

"We'll try our best to get data regarding the Philippine-UK bridge because I'm afraid that we don't have data on these, but with regard to the PBBM Bridges under the DAR, we would gladly provide everybody with all the studies conducted and also with the funding and all other information regarding this project," Estrella said.

The proposed budget of DAR will be considered approved by the subcommittee once the report on the UK bridges is submitted to the panel. — BM, GMA Integrated News