Determined to uphold integrity and accountability in public infrastructure, Mayor Leni Robredo has strengthened the city’s project monitoring system to ensure that government buildings and facilities are constructed according to approved standards and specifications.
City Legal Officer Angel Ojastro said the reactivation of the Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) enables the city government to closely monitor the implementation of infrastructure projects and ensure contractors comply with approved plans and program of works.
“If private contractors know that there is a group that will inspect the construction, their natural tendency is to ensure that the work is done properly and according to the approved design. Otherwise, they will be held liable,” Ojastro said.
To institutionalize the effort, Robredo re-operationalized the PMC through Executive Order No. 18, Series of 2025, which took effect on July 17, 2025. The order reconstituted the committee, its technical working group, and secretariat. The monitoring mechanism traces its roots to Executive Order No. 376, Series of 1989, issued during the administration of the late Mayor Jesse Robredo.
The committee is composed of the presidents of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers and the United Architects of the Philippines in Naga City, the chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Infrastructure, the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s City Local Government Operations Officer, two representatives from the Liga ng mga Barangay, and one representative from the Naga City People’s Council.
Among the projects recently inspected by the PMC were buildings at a public national secondary school, where inspectors found several construction deficiencies despite the structures having been completed only in 2024.
The committee cited poorly installed ceilings, defective comfort rooms that allow wastewater to seep onto classroom floors, improperly installed railings, electrical connections exposed to rainwater, and flooring with peeling plaster.
Following the inspection, Robredo directed the City Legal Office to formally notify the contractors concerned and require them to undertake the necessary repairs at no additional cost to the city government.
The committee also inspected the 60-year-old Naga City Public Market. While its structural foundation remains sound, inspectors observed deteriorating wall and ceiling finishes, including extensive peeling plaster. Robredo said the city government would allocate substantial funding for the rehabilitation of the aging public market. | via Jason B. Neola, head of CMO-Public Information Division
