SEC. 2. Mandate. - The Department of Public Works and Highways shall be the Autonomous Regional Government‟s engineering and construction arm and is tasked to carry out the policy enunciated above. SEC. 3. Powers and Functions. - 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) Administer implementation codes, standards, and guidelines to ensure the safety of all public and private structures in the region and ensure 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 Regional Governor or as provided by law; (5) Supervise all public works constructions and ensure that actual constructions are 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 all highways, flood control, and other public works throughout the region except those under the responsibility of other agencies as directed by the Regional Governor or as provided by law; (8) Provide an integrated planning for highways, flood control and water resource development systems and other public works; (9) Based on the current objective criteria, identify and recommend the classification/reclassification or conversion of roads into regional, provincial, city, municipal, and barangay roads; and (10) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Regional Governor or provided by law. SEC. 4. Organizational Structure. - The Department shall be composed of the Department Proper consisting of the Office of the Regional Secretary, the Offices of the Assistant Regional Secretaries, Bureaus and Field Offices. 137