FACT CHECK: Marcos’ claim on infrastructure program being ‘on schedule’ needs context

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. claimed in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the country’s infrastructure development remains “on schedule.”

This needs context. Some projects under the “Build Better More” program have been delayed and completion dates were adjusted due to issues involving right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, land turnover and lack of funding.

STATEMENT

Marcos said:

“As we enter the midterm, our infrastructure development remains sustained, strategic, and on schedule.”

Source: RTVMalacanang, State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2024, July 22, 2024, watch from 15:29 to 15:36

The president added that the country is in the middle of a “railway renaissance,” ensuring that ROW issues would be resolved to “not get in the way” of infrastructure development.

FACT

The completion dates of at least six of the 185 Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs), including the Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Bridge, the Metro Manila Subway Project and the Metro Rail Transit Line-7 (MRT-7), have been adjusted due to delays.

In a June 6 press release, Marcos acknowledged the need to amend the ROW process, noting that it has caused a “huge delay” in some IFPs.

ROW is a designated part of a property set aside for use in a national government project, as defined by Republic Act No. 10752.

VERA Files reported in May that the four-kilometer SIDC Connector Project has not seen any progress since its groundbreaking in October 2022 because of unresolved ROW acquisition issues.

The MRT-7 line has faced multiple delays where the completion of the Bulacan stations was pushed to 2027 due to ROW issues. Its construction began in April 2016 and was initially set to be operational by 2020.

Meanwhile, land acquisition and delayed payments hound the 33-kilometer Metro Manila Subway Project, which was originally set to be operational in July 2027. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the P488.48-billion project is 15% complete as of July 19.

Marcos has asked the DOTr to look for alternative funding sources for the Tagum-Davao-Digos railway, which has been stalled after the government refused to obtain Chinese loans for its financing.

BACKSTORY

Of the 185 IFPs, three projects have been completed, eight are under construction and six have been approved as of July 2024. The indicative total value of these projects is at P9.14 trillion.

(The author is a journalism student at the UP College of Mass Communication and is doing her internship with VERA Files.)