Neda seeks to exempt ‘projects of national significance’ from local court TROs

The state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) is seeking to protect projects of “national significance” from stop orders issued by local courts, the country’s chief economist said.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia told reporters that Neda wanted to shield projects of national significance from temporary restraining orders (TROs) except from the Supreme Court.

As such, lower courts will not be able to issue TROs against the implementation of big-ticket projects, said Pernia, who also heads Neda.

Economic Planning Undersecretary Rolando G. Tungpalan said Neda’s infrastructure group had yet to firm up the definition of “projects of national significance” but it could be a combination of factors such as project cost and economic impact, as vetted by the agency.

Pernia had been lamenting that some projects get delayed due to TROs halting their rollout.

This comes as the Duterte administration plans to undertake an ambitious infrastructure buildup.

In April, economic managers unveiled the administration’s “Dutertenomics” thrust of “Build, Build, Build” that they claimed would usher in a “golden age of infrastructure.”

Neda earlier increased to 75 from 55 previously the number of so-called flagship, “game-changing” projects that the administration aims to start and complete before 2022.

Of these flagship projects, 53 have a cumulative cost of P1.58 trillion, the latest Neda data showed.

A total of up to P9 trillion will be spent by the Duterte administration over the next six years to build vital infrastructure such that infrastructure spending will rise from P847.2 billion or 5.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year to P1.84 trillion or 7.3 percent of GDP in 2022. —BEN O. DE VERA