MANILA, Philippines — The National Economic Development Authority (Neda) Board, which is chaired by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., has approved seven “high-impact” projects under the Marcos administration.
Neda Secretary Arsenio Balisacan on Friday said the approval of the projects was made during the Board’s third meeting on Thursday.
“These projects are expected to significantly contribute to achieving our social and economic transformation goal in the medium term,” he said in a Palace briefing.
Among these projects is the establishment of the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) cancer center, which is a public-private partnership (PPP) project and will cost P6 billion.
Balisacan said the Neda Board approved the solicited “build, transfer, operate” proposal for the cancer center, which will be built inside the UP-PGH compound and will have a capacity of 300 beds, 150 of which will be for charity and the other 150 will be private beds.
There will be no privatization of PGH services despite the UP-PGH Cancer Center being a public-private partnership, the Neda chief said.
“The government shall own the entire facility and it shall continue to operate as a public hospital,” he said.
Neda also approved the development of the new Dumaguete airport, which will replace the existing Dumaguete-Sibulan airport.
This project will cost about P17 billion, P13 million of which will be funded through official development assistance (ODA) loan from the Korean government, Balisacan said.
The other projects approved are the following
- the P20-billion integrated flood resilience project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which aims to mitigate flood damage and improve climate resilience in three major river basin
- the utilization of the P2.12-billion loan balance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management maintenance and resiliency enhancement
- the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project which aims to increase productivity, resiliency, and access to markets and services of farmers and fisher groups in selected areas
- changes in two ongoing projects of the DPWH and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) — the Davao Transport Modernization Project and the MRT-3 rehabilitation project.
Balisacan said it approved the DOTr’s request for “changes in scope, increase in cost, and the extension of implementation” of the Davao Transport Modernization Project.
Meanwhile, the MRT-3 project aims to upgrade the train system to its “original, as-designed state.”
“All subsystems will be restored, renewed, and upgraded including the tracks, signaling system, power supply, and overheads, as well as maintenance and rehabilitation,” the Neda chief said.