Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday filed a bill seeking a sweeping reorganization of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), proposing a mandate-focused structure and requiring live-streamed inspections of infrastructure projects to boost transparency and accountability.

“It is imperative to revisit the organization of DPWH to identify where the gaps are and where opportunities for corruption may lie,” Sotto said.

“Through a rationalization of this department and its regional and district offices, we can ensure that corruption will no longer seep in its walls,” he added.

Under Sotto’s Senate Bill No. 1835, the DPWH central office will be restructured into cluster-based Infrastructure Services Units covering national highways, flood control and water resource systems, and other public works to align functions with key project categories.

The measure also creates an Infrastructure Maintenance Services Unit tasked with inspecting, monitoring, and evaluating completed projects, and maintaining a centralized, publicly accessible database of infrastructure works, including project status and bidding details.

A major reform component is the establishment of an Infrastructure Inspectorate Team, with a provision that no final billing or project completion payment shall be released without inspection reports.

All inspections must be streamed live on official channels and uploaded for public viewing.

The bill further strengthens oversight by expanding the roles of regional offices in planning and evaluation, while district offices will focus on supervision and coordination with local governments. (PNA)