NEDA approves P185-B Bicol transport projects

The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) has approved three major transport infrastructure projects worth P185 billion aimed to propel Bicol region’s economic growth.

The projects have already been recommended by the NEDA Investment Coordinating Committee for final approval and fund release.

These are the P170.7- billion North- South Railways Project (NSRP) South Line, P4.79-billion Bicol International Airport (BIA) in Daraga, Albay, and P10.15billion Inclusive Partnerships for Agricultural Competitiveness (IPAC), also in Albay, said Albay Rep. Joey Salceda who pushed for the projects during the previous administration.

The NSRP, BIA, and IPAC are among the first batch of P300-billion major development packages under the Duterte administration, he said.

Salceda said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia and Department of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno informed him of the projects’ approval.

He said the Duterte administration wants to fast track infrastructure and development projects so that lower income Filipinos, especially those in the countryside, can feel the effects of economic growth.

The 653-kilometer NSRP South line, which runs from Tutuban in Manila to Legazpi and eventually to Matnog, Sorsogon, was approved following several modifications, including the shift to the use of standard gauge, a newer and more internationally accepted technology.

On the other hand, BIA is expected to open the floodgates for international tourism, particularly in Albay, which is now a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and an emerging global ecotourism destination.

The IPAC project is seen to enhance market access and competitiveness of smallholder farmers in the target clusters of agrarian reform communities.