The Office of the Vice President for Development (OVPD), headed by Engr. Ferdinand Jesus A. Pecson, organized the UP System Infrastructure Planning Workshop with the theme "On-Time, On Budget, and of Quality Infrastructure Projects" from June 14 to June 16, 2023, at the UP Open University, Los Baños.
The participants were the Vice Chancellors handling the planning and development of each CU and the lead architects, engineers, and project management staff. VCPD Rhodella Ibabao, Ar. Christian Rodeo Pancrudo (Lead Architect of OVCPD), and Engr. Rio Lemana (Point Person of OVCPD - Monitoring and Evaluation Team) represented UP Visayas Iloilo.
The design of the training workshop enabled participants to discuss the organizational structure of the OVCPD/OVCA, the practices, critical roles of the people involved, and gaps in project/construction management in all CUs. The practices and gaps would inform the OVPD where to focus its future training and organizational improvement seminars.
VP Pecson reiterated that the training workshop is part of the administration's commitment to strengthen the CUs in the planning, designing, funding, procurement, implementation, documentation, and overall management of infrastructure projects. Continuous training and strengthening the synergy with agencies and other partners are needed to achieve the meaningful outputs and outcomes in infrastructure projects.
Experts from the construction industry and resource persons from OVPD discussed the following topics: a case study on the UP Cebu SRP library; causes, prevention, & correction of structural defects; trends in construction management; the use of Power BI software in reporting the status of projects; rules of RA 9184 and of COA on infrastructure projects; and, a briefing on the Multi-Year Contractual Authority (MYCA) document for multi-phase infrastructure projects. A workshop was conducted to streamline and enhance current practices in the various phases of construction management.
UP Visayas Iloilo has 12 completed, 9 ongoing, and zero records of terminated infrastructure or infrastructure-related projects from 2018 to 2023. The 12 completed projects were all GAA funds used for the formulation of the LUDIP; for the construction of academic buildings, roads, and the university library; and, for the renovation of toilets. The 9 ongoing infrastructure projects are funded by the GAA and the UPS Reprogrammed Funds. Ongoing projects include academic and research buildings, roads, and the library. These are new construction, for repair, and are implemented in multi-year phases. On-going projects also comprise projects with approved budget for the DAED of CAS and CM buildings, water sports facility, and sewage treatment plants.