AFP seeks Tikas funds from DPWH, DND
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Friday said he is in favor of transferring the funding and implementation of Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (Tikas) projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the Department of National Defense (DND) or directly to the AFP.
“In the last Senate budget hearing, there was a proposal to transfer the funds for the Tikas projects from DPWH to the AFP or to the Department of National Defense as the implementing agency,” Brawner told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. “I am very much in favor of that.”
The Tikas project is the infrastructure partnership between the DPWH and DND that funds barracks, training facilities, hospitals and other military structures nationwide.
He said the AFP has long been the end-user of the projects but has no control over planning, bidding and construction, which are all handled by the DPWH.
“Right now, we are just the recipient. We are the end-user. If the funds are transferred to us, we can make sure the projects are of high quality and properly implemented,” Brawner said.
Unsustained funding
During the Senate finance committee’s deliberation on the DND’s proposed 2026 budget on Tuesday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian flagged several unfinished military facilities under the Tikas infrastructure program, which has been funded and implemented by the DPWH for the AFP.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said he has recommended scrapping the stalled projects due to unsustained funding and incomplete or unusable infrastructure. He backed Gatchalian’s proposal to transfer the Tikas budget to the DND starting 2026 to improve accountability and ensure defense projects meet operational requirements.
The AFP chief likewise denied allegations of ghost projects under Tikas, saying all funds are released to the DPWH and not to the military.
“There are no ghost projects as far as the AFP is concerned. Once we give DPWH our requirements, they return with the plans and we monitor the construction. We only accept the project once it is fully completed,” he explained.
