Right-of-way provision increased in proposed 2019 budget
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DoTr) have been provided with larger allocations to settle right-of-way (ROW) disputes. For 2018, the ROW budget has a total of PhP 36.7 billion, of which PhP 20.6 billion went to the DPWH and PhP 16.1 billion went to the DOTr.
In 2017, the ROW budget was slightly lower at PhP 34 billion in 2017 with PhP 19.6 billion and PhP 14.7 billion allocated to the DPWH and the DoTr, respectively.
The ROW budget will be significantly larger in the proposed 2019 national budget: PhP 29.4 billion for the DPWH and PhP 26.9 billion for the DoTr. Compared with the previous year’s ROW budget, this is an additional PhP 19.6 billion.
In addition, the National Irrigation Administration was allocated PhP 30 million for right-of-way issues in 2017 and 2018. This will increase to PhP 200 million in 2019.
Furthermore, the National Housing Authority (NHA), has been allocated an amount of PhP 577 million for its Resettlement Program, part of which will cover cost incurred from ROW acquisitions. Resettlement costs are already part of the ROW budgets for both DPWH and DOTr.
In 2016, Republic Act No. 10752, also known as “The Right-of-Way Act,“ was ratified making it easier for the national government to expropriate private land for infrastructure projects, public service facilities, among others.
This announcement was first made on www.dbm.gov.ph.