The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) is confident that 104 flagship projects of the Duterte administration would be implemented by 2021.
During the budget hearing at the Senate Finance Committee, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said, “The selection of the 104 is based on the readiness [of each project] to be implemented in 2021.”
He continued: “So all of these [projects] are included [in the budget] At least certain segments of their implementation. For instance, the construction phase, implementation of right of way. That is the basis of including the 104, they start next year, or continue next year.”
Data from the Neda web site showed the 104 projects carry a price tag of P4.13 trillion. However, only a portion of the amount will be included in the budget since only portions of some projects will be implemented next year.
Based on the list provided by Neda, the 104 projects include mostly new projects as less than 40 original projects were included on the new list. Some projects on the original list were also lumped together so even more new projects were added to the flagship projects.
Chua already hinted at the changes when he said some of the new projects are related to the Covid-19 response such as the P500-million Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines.
Of the projects on the list, the most expensive is the P735.65-billion New Manila International Airport and the P628.42-billion North South Commuter Railway Extension or Philippine National Railways (PNR) North 2, PNR South Commuter railway.
Other big-ticket projects, or those costing over P100 billion, are the P356.97-billion Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1; P175.32-billion PNR South Long Haul; P149.13-billion North South Commuter Railway (PNR North 1); and P102.12-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport project.
Apart from the flagship projects, the Neda said it has facilitated the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) approval of 27 new projects amounting to P770.8 billion.
It also increased the share of Regional Development Council (RDC)-endorsed projects in the National Expenditure program to 25 percent in 2020 from only 4.84 percent in 2019.
Under the Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation System (RPMES), Neda monitored 930 ongoing and completed projects and sub-projects across the 15 regions.
These projects had an aggregate cost of P898.84 billion were monitored and reported by the Regional Project Monitoring Committees.