By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

DEPARTMENT of Public Works director Larry Perez assured the public yesterday that DPW will break grounds by the first week of May to start its grand projects once the engineering company hired by the government gets on board.
Perez said DPW is just waiting for the Attorney General’s Office to sign the agency’s contract with PBS&J and Moffat & Nichol Joint Venture, a program management consultancy group that will undertake the administration’s “Pardon Our Progress” program. The program involves dozens of road repair and construction projects, among others.
“Once the AGO signed the contract, it will go to the governor’s office for final signature. After that, we expect to hit the ground by May 1,” Perez said.
Perez acknowledged that commissioning a private group is more expensive “but it is the only option that we have” because the department’s efforts to hire qualified engineers have not been successful.
At the budget hearing Monday, Perez revealed that the department has $120 million in federal highway funds that are still available but remain unexpended because of shortage of human resources.
The department used to have 17 engineers, but is now down to two, Perez said.
Just the same, he said the department has managed to expend $40 million last year out of $160 million originally available.
 Besides the remaining $120 million, Perez said the government is expecting $1.2 billion in the next few years from the Department of Defense for the military access road projects.
Despite the lack of manpower, Perez said the department has been able to implement projects worth $13 million to $14 million a year.
But once the islandwide restoration program goes full blast, the department would be expending around $200 million in the succeeding years, he said.