Gov’t to continue infra program

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews) — Infrastructure projects under President Duterte’s “Build, Build,

Build” program will continue in his remaining two years in office to help revitalize the economy, an official said Thursday.

In a press briefing here, Presidential spokesperson Harry S. Roque echoed the position of Duterte’s economic managers that pursuing these projects will help the country recover from the stifling effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Duterte, the first Mindanawon President, will end his term in June 2022.

Roque assured there would be no delay in the implementation of the projects, but said that some of these would be subject to “re-prioritization or for future release.”

According to the “Build, Build, Build” website, the government targets to spend P8 to P9 trillion on infrastructure projects, seen as among the top priorities of the Duterte administration from 2017-2022.

The current administration, which envisioned to reduce poverty from 21.6 percent in 2015 to 13-15 percent by 2022, is looking at ramping up government infrastructure spending and the “development of industries that will yield robust growth across the archipelago, create jobs and uplift the lives of Filipinos.”

In Mindanao, the P23.04billion Davao-Samal bridge project and the P81.9-billion phase 1 of the Mindanao Railway Project are included in the infrastructure program.

Last month, Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects Vince Dizon said the government will not put the two projects on the backburner amid the pandemic. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)