The “Build Build Build” team led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President Vince Dizon launched DPWH’s InfraTrack App, a geographic information system employing geo-tagging technology, which would detect ghost projects real time.

“The InfraTrack App plots photos submitted for monitoring in the exact geographic coordinates where it was taken. System automatically alerts us when a project is misreported from a different location,” Villar noted.

“When we finish the transition of the data this year to our new monitoring system — the Project and Contract Management Procedures and Application, and with the full use of this new application, ghost projects and inaccurate reporting would be a thing of the past,” he added.

Also present in the event was Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) President Jose Ma. Lim and NLEX Corporation Senior Vice President for Tollways Development and Engineering Raul Ignacio.

“The launch of the InfraTrack App is consistent with the President’s mandate of increasing transparency and accountability in government,” Medialdea said.

Villar said that before Contractor claims could be processed, they would now need to submit geo-tagged photos as well as geographic-based status report.

“Drones are already being used in monitoring the project accomplishment of regional projects. We are now mandating our district offices to adopt the same technology,” Villar noted.

Drone videos may also be embedded in the Infra-Track Application.

The launch of the InfraTrack App was done simultaneously with an inspection of the NLEX Harbor Link Project Segment 10, the first project to be inputed in the application.

“The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, an elevated expressway linking MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City and C3 Road in Caloocan City, is projected to be operational by the end of the first quarter of 2018,” Villar noted.

“We expect to finish the project by early next year, anticipating complete delivery of the remaining right-of-way by end of this month,” Raul Ignacio said.

ROW acquisition and initial construction activities are ongoing for the 2.6-kilometer Radial Road 10 section of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 from C3 Road in Caloocan City to R10 in Navotas City.

“When NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is completed, travel time from Quezon City to Manila will be reduced to 20 minutes,” Villar added.