Two years into office, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. admits that delays have been hounding the country’s infrastructure drive, making him cling to various measures in hopes of “Building Better More.”
As of July, the administration has 185 Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs) with an indicative total value of P9.14 trillion. Three of these have been completed, six were given the green light while eight are under construction.
Some of the projects, however, have been facing delays due to Right of Way (ROW) acquisition issues. These include the Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge, the Metro Manila Subway Project and the Metro Rail Transit Line-7 (MRT-7).
To address this, Marcos issued Administrative Order No. 19, creating an inter-agency committee for rail projects facing ROW concerns. The committee seeks to ensure cooperation among concerned government agencies in streamlining the land acquisition process and delivering services to persons affected by the projects. He also expressed support to revert to the old way of addressing ROW issues, which allows securing writ of possession after making a 15% initial payment for the property involved.
In March, Marcos released Executive Order No. 9, streamlining the process for issuing required licenses, clearances, permits, certifications or authorizations of the IFPs.
The president went as far as ordering extended construction hours and round-the-clock emergency repairs on government infrastructure projects to ensure their completion on time.
The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code of the Philippines, which provides a unified legal framework for all PPPs at both national and local levels, was enacted in December. With its Implementing Rules and Regulations signed on March 31, the Code is expected to bolster the administration’s infrastructure program.
Infrastructure is among the top priorities for the Maharlika Investment Fund’s first investment targeted by the end of this year.
Senate Bill No. 2605, seeking the creation of a 30-year Comprehensive Infrastructure Development Masterplan, is pending legislation.
From July 2022 to November 2023, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) completed the construction, repair, maintenance, upgrading and widening of 7,715 kilometers of roads; 969 bridges; 2,410 flood control projects; 6,439 rainwater collector systems; 389 kilometers of farm-to-market roads; 12 kilometers of farm-to-mill roads; and 5,116 classrooms.
The National Fiber Backbone project Phase 1 spearheaded by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which provides high-speed connectivity to various provinces, government offices and data centers, was launched in April.
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s rehabilitation is underway with the DOTr and the Manila International Airport Authority signing a concession agreement with the SMC-SAP & Company Consortium on March 15.
Meanwhile, funding concerns stalled the Mindanao Railway Project and one of the mega bridge projects, the Panglao-Tagbilaran City Offshore Bridge Connector. Both were expecting funding from Chinese loans, but the government has since dropped the negotiations and started looking for other sources.
See how the president fared in his nine promises on infrastructure:
