Educating the public about how government infrastructure projects really work is paramount. Recent discoveries of massive corruption in the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) flood control projects have scandalized the country.

Many people are familiar with the rudiments of a project from school or work experience. But when it pertains to government projects, particularly infrastructure like school buildings, roads, and flood control systems, there is a lack of understanding, or even confusion, on what completion really means.

Today, once a proposed school building or other infrastructure is constructed, the project is considered completed. An inauguration or ribbon-cutting is held where the mayor, governor, or congressman takes credit. Their supporters praise them extensively on traditional and social media.

This practice of project-tagging has been around for decades. There is now an anti-Epal law that prohibits politicians from putting their names and photos on projects, but it’s too early to know if this will stop once and for all.

But the key consideration is that an infrastructure project is not truly successful just because construction is finished. When a new school building is completed, that is only an output or an immediate result. The activities are done. The budget has been spent. But the real question is: Has the project improved education? Have enrollment rates increased?  Have dropout rates decreased? Has the quality of teaching improved?

These long-term results take time. They cannot be measured on inauguration day. So, it is premature to declare success right after construction.

It is human nature to thank a mayor, governor, or congressman who facilitated its implementation. But it is too early to congratulate any of them. Of course, a mayor, governor, or congressman may no longer be the incumbent by the time the desired long-term results are achieved. But it is their responsibility to serve and deliver, for which they are accountable.

On the other hand, non-government organizations (NGOs) focus on outcomes or the desired long-term results after construction. Building infrastructure is only the beginning. They connect one project to other related programs to create synergy. For example, a school building project may be linked to teacher training or health programs for students. NGOs are low-key and less celebratory, in their knowing that the real work starts after construction.

Here are some reminders to help better understand government infrastructure projects.

• A project is a mix of activities intended to achieve a specific objective.
• A program may consist of several related projects working toward a broader goal.
• There is a target group or beneficiaries who are intended to benefit from a government infrastructure project. The community, not anyone with vested interests, requests the construction of an infrastructure.
• A development problem is solved when the underlying or root cause is eliminated, not the symptoms.
• One problem can cause another.
• What appears to be a cause may actually be the effect of a deeper problem.
• Situation analysis is like a doctor’s diagnosis. If the diagnosis is wrong, the prescription—or project—will also be wrong.
• An indicator only shows whether an objective has been achieved. It does not automatically prove overall success.
• The result chain is input → output → outcome → impact. The hierarchy of objectives is activity → output → objective → goal.
• There may be more than one family in a household.
• There are female-headed households.
• Vision is where to go. The mission is how to get there.

In conclusion, a government infrastructure project should not be judged on the day of its inauguration. It should be judged years later, when we can clearly see whether it improved people’s lives. Construction is only the beginning. Real success is measured by lasting change.

The header features a photo of the unfinished highway flyover project in Malabog, Daraga, Albay. The construction work, now terminated by DPWH, was reported to be under contract with Alpha and Omega General Contractor and Development Corp., owned by the controversial Discaya couple, and Hi-Tone Construction and Development Corp., co-founded by former Ako-Bicol representative Christopher Co. (credit: Julie Rodriguez Bellen, 91.5 Brigada News FM Legazpi)

About the author

NESTOR “NONO” FELIX worked in various capacities for an INGO for more than 25 years before retiring in 2011. From 1997 to 2010, he was the corporate planning and M&E manager covering Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.

He contributes commentaries and opinions to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (bylined Nono Felix). He also writes poems for the Philippines Graphic. He is a recipient of the 2024 Nick Joaquin Literary Awards’ Graphic Salute Award bestowed by the Philippines Graphic in the poetry category, an award he also received in 2023. He lives with his family in San Felipe, Naga City.