THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will implement P1.2 trillion of the revised list of flagship projects under the Duterte administration.
Documents obtained by the BusinessMirror showed the amount will cover 45 projects now in various stages of development. The DPWH said some of the projects on the list will be completed during the term of President Duterte.
This, as Malacañang on Tuesday attributed the slow pace of
the implementation of some “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) projects to
unavoidable bureaucratic red
tape.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador S. Panelo noted this was not the fault of the BBB implementing agencies, the DPWH and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
He said these factors, which usually delay BBB construction, include issues on right-of-way or delays in the release of funds.
Panelo was responding to the criticism by Minority Leader Franklin Drilon that only nine projects, or 2 percent of the 75 flagship infrastructure projects under BBB, have begun construction.
Drilon said it is unlikely the administration can complete all the 75 by 2022, when President Duterte’s term ends.
Panelo called Drilon’s assessment “baseless,” insisting more than nine of the 75 BBB projects have already started.
The concurrent presidential chief legal adviser, however, said they will also ask Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar to provide further details on those projects which have been delayed.
Even with the delays, Panelo said Duterte maintains his trust for DPWH and DOTr.
Construction frenzy
Meanwhile, Villar told this newspaper in a roundtable discussion on Tuesday that the more robust list of flagship projects belies claims that the Build, Build, Build program has failed.
“If you look around, you don’t even have to look any further. Everywhere you see, every area, there’s construction,” Villar said. “We expanded the list and made it more efficient.” The list has 28 projects currently under construction; four undergoing detailed engineering; and three under procurement.
The DPWH also included five projects undergoing feasibility studies, and another five to be submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board for approval.
The largest project is the 18.07-kilometer (km) Panay-Guimaras-Negros Link Bridge, estimated to cost P211.94 billion and being proposed for Chinese financing. It is undergoing feasibility study.
It involves building two sea-crossing bridges, including connecting roads and interchanges linking Panay Island to Guimaras Island, and Guimaras Island to Negros Island.
Another big-ticket project is the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB) worth P187 billion. The project, undergoing feasibility study, is also proposed for Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding.
The 32.1-km project involves the construction of viaducts (marine and land) and two long span bridges connecting Mariveles, Bataan, to Corregidor to Naic, Cavite.
The smallest project is the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the 18.97-km Marawi Transcentral Road, to cost P970 million.
The project, financed by a grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), is expected to be completed by June next year.
Recalibration
In September, Neda sources told this newspaper that the national government is recalibrating flagship projects “to catch up with the Build, Build, Build agenda.”
The recalibration could lead to an increase in the number of flagship projects of the Duterte administration. One source said some projects could be “reprioritized due to technical constraints,” while feasible projects may be added to the flagship list.
The Neda source said the process aims to create more viable and sustainable projects. This is crucial since a number of the flagship projects will be completed after 2022.
With Samuel P. Medenilla
Image credits: Roy Domingo