92 infra projects approved in last 5 years, 43 more in pipeline

In its nearly five years in office, the Duterte administration has green-lit 92 projects worth a total of P3.86 trillion, of which the bulk were big-ticket infrastructure projects financed by official development assistance (ODA) loans and grants, the latest National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) data showed.

These projects were approved by the Neda Board chaired by President Duterte between July 2016 and mid-May this year. The latest addition to the list was the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) P19.18-billion retrofitted second additional financing for the Philippine rural development project, which was aimed at supporting programs and projects that would benefit farmers and fisherfolk who were vulnerable during crises and calamities, and contribute to the overall food resiliency of the country.

The Neda said this DA project, to be co-financed by the World Bank and a European Union grant, “will complement the government’s recovery initiatives under the ALPAS Kontra COVID-19 program, and support the creation of jobs in rural areas under the new normal” through its infrastructure and enterprise development components.

Separate Neda data showed that as of May 15, the Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee also had 17 big-ticket projects to be financed by ODA and by the national budget that were pending approval. These are worth a total of P394.95 billion.

The biggest project of these projects was the P175.69-billion Laguna lakeshore road network project phase one, which will be financed by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The Neda said this 376-kilometer road project around Laguna de Bay would include an 11.8-km viaduct from Lower Bicutan, Taguig City, to Tunasan, Muntinlupa City, plus a 25.8-km shoreline viaduct and embankment from Tunasan to Calamba City.

Another big-ticket project up for action of the ICC c, which is co-chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, was the P80.65-billion Davao City expressway.

Other projects awaiting the ICC’s green-light are the P2.84-billion expansion of General Santos City’s fish port; P7.57-billion construction of steel flyovers in Regions 4A, 10 and 11; P5.96-billion “iconic” bridges project; P28.98-billion Pasig-Marikina River basin flood management; P12.8-billion Philippine multisectoral nutrition project to be financed by the World Bank; and P25.8-billion acquisition of 40 units (20 imported and 20 locally built) of weapon-ready, fast-patrol craft by the Philippine Coast Guard.

The ICC’s technical board is also reviewing 26 other projects, including the P2.81-billion comprehensive master development plan to transform the Libingan ng mga Bayani into a “world-class memorial facility”; a P938.7-million “super maximum security compound” at the Bureau of Corrections; P7.13-billion Panglao-Tagbilaran City offshore bridge connector; P87.52-billion Quezon-Bicol Expressway; P4.54-billion Metro Cebu Circumferential Road; P4.85-billion urban cable car project in the Santolan-Eastwood-Pasig corridor.