Government Agencies Concerned in

Civil Engineering and Project Management

Department of Public Works and Highway

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is one of the three
departments of the government undertaking major infrastructure projects. The
DPWH is mandated to undertake (a) the planning of infrastructure, such as national
roads and bridges, flood control, water resources projects and other public works,
and (b) the design, construction, and maintenance of national roads and bridges,
and major flood control systems.

The Department of Public Works and Highways functions as the engineering

and construction arm of the Government tasked to continuously develop its
technology for the purpose of ensuring the safety of all infrastructure facilities and
securing for all public works and highways the highest efficiency and quality in
construction.

DPWH is currently responsible for the planning, design, construction and

maintenance of infrastructure, especially the national highways, flood control and
water resources development system, and other public works in accordance with
national development objectives.

The Department, in order to carry out its mandate, shall:

(1) Provide technical services for the planning, design, construction, maintenance,
or operation of infrastructure facilities;

(2) Develop and implement effective codes, standards, and reasonable guidelines to
ensure the safety of all public and private structures in the country and assure
efficiency and proper quality in the construction of public works;

(3) Ascertain that all public works plans and project implementation designs are
consistent with current standards and guidelines;
 (4) Identify, plan, secure funding for, program, design, construct or undertake
prequalification, bidding, and award of contracts of public works projects with the
exception only of specialized projects undertaken by Government corporate entities
with established technical capability and as directed by the President of the
Philippines or as provided by law;

(5) Provide the works supervision function for all public works constructions and
ensure that actual construction is done in accordance with approved government
plans and specifications;

(6) Assist other agencies, including the local governments, in determining the most
suitable entity to undertake the actual construction of public works projects;

(7) Maintain or cause to be maintained all highways, flood control, and other public
works throughout the country except those that are the responsibility of other
agencies as directed by the President of the Philippines or as provided by law;

(8) Provide an integrated planning for highways, flood control and water resource
development systems, and other public works;

(9) Classify road and highways into national, regional, provincial, city, municipal,
and barangay roads and highways, based on objective criteria it shall adopt; provide
or authorize the conversion of roads and highways from one category to another;
and

(10) Delegate, to any agency it determines to have the adequate technical

capability, any of the foregoing powers and functions; and (11) Perform such other
functions as may be provided by law (Section 3, Ibid.).
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation (DOTr; Filipino: Kagawarán ng
Transportasyon) is the executive department of the Philippine
government responsible for the maintenance and expansion of viable, efficient, and
dependable transportation systems as effective instruments for national recovery
and economic progress.
The department is responsible for the country's land, air, sea communications
infrastructure.
Until June 30, 2016, the department was named Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC; Filipino: Kagawarán ng
Transportasyón at Komunikasyón). With Republic Act No. 10844 or "An Act
Creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology", signed
into law on May 20, 2016 during the administration of Outgoing President Benigno
Aquino III, the Information and Communications Technology Office was spun off
the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and merged with all operative
units of the DOTC dealing with communications, to form the new Department of
Information and Communications Technology.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is the
primary policy, planning, programming, coordinating, implementing and
administrative entity of the executive branch of the government on the promotion,
development and regulation of a dependable and coordinated network of
transportation and communications systems, as well as in the fast, safe, efficient
and reliable transportation and communications services.
As one of the first government agencies established under the Malolos
Constitution on January 21, 1899, the DOTC plays a crucial role in accelerating the
country's economic development. It provides the backbone for growth and
enhances the country's competitive edge by providing effective and efficient
transportation and communications infrastructure systems that narrow the
geographical and physical divide, connecting the country, its islands, and its people
to the rest of the world.
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is a multi-role government
agency responsible for the regulation of aviation in the Philippines. CAAP's
mandate covers a number of different functional areas, including responsibility for
air traffic management. CAAP is to:
• Establish and prescribe rules and regulations for the inspection and registration of
all aircraft owned and operated in the Philippines and all air facilities;
• Establish and prescribe the corresponding rules and regulations for the
enforcement of laws governing air transportation;
• Determine, fix and/or prescribe charges and/or rates pertinent to the operation of
public air utility facilities and services;
• Administer and operate the Civil Aviation Training Center (CATC);
• Operate and maintain national airports, air navigation and other similar facilities
in compliance to ICAO;
• Perform such other powers and functions as may be prescribed by law.
Light Rail Transit Authority

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is a public transport operator that

is responsible for the construction, operation, maintenance and/or lease of Manila
Light Rail Transit System in the Philippines. Founded by Philippine
President Ferdinand E. Marco son July 12, 1980. It is organized as a government-
owned and controlled corporation under the Department of Transportation (DOTr)
as an attached agency.
Land Transportation and Regulatory Board
The Land Transportation and Regulatory Board ( LTFRB); Filipino: Lupon sa
Pagpaprangkisa at Regulasyon ng Transportasyong-Lupa) is an agency of the Republic of the
Philippines under the Department of Transportation (DOTr). The LTFRB was established on
June 19, 1987 during the former president Corazon Aquino’s administration.
The LTFRB is responsible for promulgating, administering, enforcing, and
monitoring compliance of policies, laws, and regulations of public land
transportation services. The agency is in charge of granting franchises or
accreditations and regulating public vehicles such as Public Utility Buses (PUBs),
Mini-buses, Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs), Utility Vehicle (UV) Express Services,
Filcab service, school services, taxies, Transportation Network Vehicle Services
(TNVS), and Tourist Transport Services.

LTFRB FUNCTIONS

The Board shall have the following powers and functions:

 To prescribe and regulate routes of service, economically viable capacities

and zones or areas of operation of public land transportation services
provided by motorized vehicles in accordance with the public land
transportation development plans and programs approved by the Department
of Transportation and Communications;
 To issue, amend, revise, suspend or cancel Certificates of Public
Convenience or permits authorizing the operation of public land
transportation services provided by motorized vehicles, and to prescribe the
appropriate terms and conditions therefore;
 To determine, prescribe and approve and periodically review and adjust,
reasonable fares, rates and other related charges, relative to the operation of
public land transportation services provided by motorized vehicles;
 To issue preliminary or permanent injunction, whether prohibitory or
mandatory, in all cases in which it has jurisdiction, and in which cases the
pertinent provisions of the Rules of Court shall apply;
 To punish for contempt of the Board, both direct and indirect, in accordance
with the pertinent provisions of, and the penalties prescribed by, the Rules of
Court;
 To issue subpoena and subpoena duces tecum and summon witnesses to
appear in any proceedings of the Board, to administer oaths and affirmations;
 To conduct investigations and hearings of complaints for violation of the
public service laws on land transportation and of the Board’s rules and
regulations, orders, decisions and/or rulings and to impose fines and/or
penalties for such violations;
 To review motu proprio the decisions/actions of the Regional Franchising
and Regulatory Office herein created;
 To promulgate rules and regulations governing proceedings before the Board
and the Regional Franchising and Regulatory Office: Provided, That except
with respect to paragraphs d, e, f and g hereof, the rules of procedure and
evidence prevailing in the courts of laws should not be controlling and it is
the spirit and intention of said rules that the Board and the Regional
Franchising and Regulatory Offices shall use every and all reasonable means
to ascertain facts in its case speedily and objectively and without regard to
technicalities of law and procedures, all in the interest of due process;
 To fix, impose and collect, and periodically review and adjust, reasonable
fees and other related charges for services rendered;
 To formulate, promulgate, administer, implement and enforce rules and
regulations on land transportation public utilities, standards of measurements
and/or design, and rules and regulations requiring operators of any public
land transportation service to equip, install and provide in their utilities and
in their stations such devices, equipment facilities and operating procedures
and techniques as may promote safety, protection, comfort and convenience
to persons and property in their charges as well as the safety of persons and
property within their areas of operations;
 To coordinate and cooperate with other government agencies and entities
concerned with any aspect involving public land transportation services with
the end in view of effecting continuing improvement of such services; and
 To perform such other functions and duties as may be provided by law, or as
may be necessary, or proper or incidental to the purposes and objectives of
this Executive Order.
Land Transportation Office 

The Land Transportation Office (Filipino: Tanggapan ng Transportasyong-

Lupa or LTO) is an agency of the Philippine governmentunder the Department of
Transportation and is responsible for all land transportation in the Philippines.
Functions of the Land Transportation Office include the inspection and registration
of motor vehicles, issuance of license and permits, enforcement of land
transportation rules and regulations, adjudication of traffic cases, and the collection
of revenues for the government of the Philippines.
Its primary mission is to rationalize the land transportation services and
facilities and to effectively implement the various transportation laws, rules, and
regulations. It believes that it is the responsibility of those involved in the public
service to be more vigilant in their part in the over-all development scheme of
national leadership. Hence, the promotion of safety and comfort in land travel is
one of LTO's continuing commitments. It aims to be a frontline government
agency that showcases fast and efficient public service for a progressive land
transport sector.
The LTO is in charge of the issuance, renewal, and regulation of driver's
licenses. It can issue licenses to both citizens and foreigners provided that they
meet the requirements for those licenses. The LTO provides the non-professional
driver's license, which allows holders to operate vehicles under the restriction
codes 1,2, and 4. It also provides the professional driver's license, which allows the
bearer to operate vehicles under all 8 restriction codes. The LTO also issues student
permits (SP), which are a primary requirement for both the non-professional and
professional driver's licenses. All applicants are also required to pass both a written
and practical examination to be granted their license. The application process for
any license or permit may be done at any LTO Licensing Center and
District/Extension Office.
The LTO is responsible for the registration of motor vehicles and renewals. It
can register brand new vehicles, including locally manufactured vehicles, imported
vehicles, light electric vehicles, low speed vehicles, three wheeled vehicles, and tax
exempt vehicles. Each category has an obligatory set of requirements and
procedures to follow to be fully registered. Renewals are also obligated to submit
the necessary requirements and to follow procedures to be fully renewed. The LTO
also oversees miscellaneous transactions, specifically transactions requiring change
of certificate of registration, and transactions that do not require the change of
certificate of registration.
One of the main functions of the LTO is to strictly implement and enforce
the laws regarding land transportation. Necessary requirements and procedures are
to be followed in settlements of admitted cases and contested cases of motor
vehicles, plates, and driver's licenses. The LTO also follows a strict procedure in
settlements of impounded violations. It also allows private and for hire motor
vehicles to apply for duplicate plates.
Furthermore, the LTO is in charge of ensuring that public land transportation
services abide by the fares set by the LTFRB. It has sanctions for the overcharging
and undercharging of fares, and for non-issuance of fare tickets.
Local Water Utilities Administration
The Local Water Utilities Administration, more commonly referred to as
LWUA, was created through PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 198, also known as
“The Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973,” which was signed into law on May
25, 1973.

LWUA is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) with a

specialized lending function mandated by law to promote and oversee the
development of water supply systems in provincial cities and municipalities outside
of Metropolitan Manila.

It is run by an Administrator assisted by a Senior Deputy Administrator, a

Deputy Administrator for Finance & Investments, a Deputy Administrator for Area
Operations, and a Deputy Administrator for Administrative Services, under the
guidance of a five-man Board of Trustees where the Administrator is an ex-officio
member.

The law that created LWUA in the national level also provided for the
establishment of WATER DISTRICTS in provincial cities and municipalities. Thus
would be put into motion a development partnership called the “LWUA-Water
District Concept” that would revolutionize water supply provision in the
countryside.
 LWUA functions as a lending source. LWUA is the only lending institution
– whether in the public or private sector — with the financial, technical and
institutional development competence to enable a water district’s water supply
project to generate return-on-investments.

LWUA treats countryside water supply development not simply as a

financial venture, nor as a mere waterworks construction project, but as a
comprehensive development endeavor that factors in the community’s economic
and cultural nuances, among other things, to assure residents of a water supply
service that is both reliable and lasting. LWUA’s comprehensive expertise has been
responsible for turning Philippine countryside water supply development into the
working model for Asia that it is today. Water Districts benefit from this
comprehensive expertise through LWUA’s various assistance programs.

LWUA functions as an expert in water supply development. LWUA is the

only Philippine water supply institution with full expertise in developing Level III
(individual household connection) water supply systems. Its competence spans the
financial, technical, institutional development and regulatory aspects of water
supply development. It is also an expert in developing Level I (communal well) and
Level II (communal faucet) systems. This expertise is often availed of by other
government institutions involved in the development of these water supply systems.

LWUA functions as a financial expert. LWUA since 1973 has been

financing water supply projects through funds secured from national government
subscriptions, bilateral and multilateral fund sources, and from internally-generated
funds and second generation funds. Recently, government and private financing
institutions have been tapped as new fund sources. Traditionally, these sources are
inaccessible to water districts. LWUA then allocates and relends these funds to
water districts at competitive terms. Some funds, meanwhile, are extended as
grants. Under recent enhancements to its charter, LWUA is also tasked to assist
water districts graduate into creditworthy status and access non-traditional sources
of funds.

The LWUA know-how also includes the determination and implementation

of socially responsive and financially viable water rates, and tariff review to
determine its adequacy to meet WD expansion needs.
 LWUA functions as a technical expert. LWUA’s teams of engineers and
technicians have undergone extensive studies and trainings both here and abroad,
and have gained an unequalled competence in water supply and sanitation
development through actual experiences in the field. Their expertise includes all
phases of planning, design, construction supervision, and operations and
maintenance supervision, including identification and development of water
sources and systems efficiency improvement.

LWUA functions as an institutional development expert. With the overall

success and sustainability of a water district in mind, LWUA extends institutional
development assistance in the form of advisory and managerial services; transfers
policy-making, managerial and technical competence to the pertinent WD
personnel through training interventions; designs and provides water districts with
commercial practices systems for a smoother commercial operation.
Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC)

The Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC) was

established in 1973 as the government’s arm for the development of the Philippine
Aviation Industry. The driving motives for its establishment are self-reliance,
national security and technology transfer. PADC established a maintenance, repair
and overhaul center for Allison 250 series turbine engines, as well as Lycoming
and Continental piston engines up to four hundred (400) HP rating. As the Allison
Authorized Maintenance and Overhaul Center (AMOC)in the Philippines, PADC
undertook the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program on the overhaul of the Allison
250-C30 engines of the Sikorsky helicopters and the Allison 250-B17 engines of
the Nomads, for the Philippine Air Force.
The Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation was created on 5
September 1973 by virtue of Presidential Decree (PD) 286, as restructured and
amended by P.D. 696, for purposes of undertaking all manner of activity, business
or development projects to establish a reliable aviation and aerospace industry.
Its mandate includes:
 Design, assembly, manufacture and sale of all forms of aircraft and
aviation /aerospace devices, equipment or contraptions, studies or researches
for innovations and improvements there upon.
 Development of local capabilities in maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO),
and modification of aerospace and associated flight and ground equipment
and components thereof in order to provide technical services and overhaul
support to: government agencies owning aerospace equipment, the
Philippine Air Force / foreign air forces , the national airline / foreign airline
companies, and to the aviation industry in general.
 Operation and provision of air transport services, whether for cargo or
passengers on a scheduled or charter basis, on domestic and/or international
scale.
National Telecommunications Commission
The Philippines' National Telecommunications Commission (Filipino:
Pambansáng Komisyón sa Telekomunikasyón), abbreviated as NTC, is an attached
agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology
responsible for the supervision, adjudication and control over all
telecommunications services throughout the country.
NTC is currently headed by Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, who assumed
office on August 2009, and served within the three administrations of former
presidents Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III, and incumbent
President Rodrigo Duterte.
Philippine Ports Authority
Prior to the creation of PPA, port administration in the Philippines was
merged with the traditional function of revenue collection of the Bureau of
Customs (BOC). Port and harbor maintenance was the responsibility of the Bureau
of Public Works (BPW). In the early 1970's, there were already 591 national and
municipal ports plus 200 private ports scattered all over the country necessitating
the need for long-range planning and rationalization of port development.
There was an identified need to integrate and coordinate port planning,
development, operations and regulation at the national level. Around this time, the
Bureau of Customs had proposed to the Reorganization Committee and to Congress
the creation of a separate government agency to integrate the functions of port
operations, cargo handling and port development and maintenance to enable the
Bureau to concentrate on tax and customs duties collection. Moreover, the World
Bank, as a condition for the grant of a port development loan in 1973, stipulated the
creation of a port authority to oversee the implementation of projects under that
loan.
Realizing that the establishment and operation of port authorities in other
countries led to improved port operations, it was felt that the same benefits could be
derived with a national port authority to administer and manage the country's ports.
Hence, the Philippine Ports Authority was created under Presidential Decree No.
505 which was subsequently amended by P.D. No. 857 in December 1975. The
latter decree broadened the scope and functions of the PPA to facilitate the
implementation of an integrated program for the planning, development, financing,
operation and maintenance of ports or port districts for the entire country. In 1978,
the charter was further amended by Executive Order No. 513 the salient features of
which were the granting of police authority to the PPA, the creation of a National
Ports Advisory Council (NPAC) to strengthen cooperation between the government
and the private sector, and the empowering of the Authority to exact reasonable
administrative fines for specific violations of its rules and regulations. By virtue of
its charter, the PPA was attached to what was then the Ministry of Public Works
and Highways (MPWH) which also served as the executing agency for all port
construction projects. Under this set-up, PPA prepared the general plans, programs
and project priorites while the MPWH was responsible for detailed engineering,
actual construction and/or supervision of port construction projects
 The PPA was subsequently removed from under the jurisdiction of the MPWH
(DPWH) and attached to what is now the Department of Transportation and
Communications (DOTC) for policy and program coordination. Subsequently, by virtue
of Executive Order No. 159, which was issued in 1987, the PPA is now vested with the
function of undertaking all port construction projects under its port system, relieving
DPWH of this responsibility. The executive order also granted PPA financial autonomy.