NEWS

By Jovee Marie dela Cruz

THE chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means on Wednesday filed a bill granting President Duterte three-year “special powers” to speed up the implementation of 75 flagship projects under the “Build, Build, Build.”

In File Photo: Workers are busy at a portion of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project (MMSS 3) on Araneta Avenue in Quezon City. The Skyway Stage 3 is a 17.54-km elevated expressway from Buendia, Makati City to Balintawak, Quezon City, and will connect the South and North Luzon Expressways. The Duterte administration, which is rushing to have key infrastructure projects—whether public or private—completed on schedule to boost growth, has approved a cash-based budget for 2019 of P3.757 trillion, fueling an aggressive spending strategy for its “Build, Build, Build” centerpiece.

In filing House Bill 5456, or Flagship Emergency Act of 2019, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said his proposal seeks to complete these projects on or before 2022.

Salceda said of the 75 of the original projects, 46 are being implemented as of 2019 mainly through the following: 1) General Appropriations Act-funded; 2) Official development assistance-funded with financial close, and 3) started in the past administrations.

According to Salceda, this program has to be supported with special powers to fast-track the implementation as this would provide an inclusive growth, which means reducing poverty from 21.6 percent of population in 2015 to 14 percent by 2022.

“Midway through President Duterte administration’s term, its economic and infrastructure teams have just finished reviewing the flagship BBB program to possibly include emerging 100 big-ticket projects being pitched by the private sector—although cautious not to commit any mistakes that would deem too accommodating to firms’ profits at the expense of taxpayers’ money,” he said.

The BBB program, launched in 2017, is aimed at ushering in the “golden age of infrastructure” in the country. It is the largest and broadest infrastructure spending program ever undertaken by any Philippine government in the last 100 years.

He said this program will catch up with its more vibrant neighbors by 2022 and would help achieve high-income economy status within a generation and middle-income status by 2022.

Salceda said the program is a work in progress but could be faster by easing procurement rigidities and empowering right of way.

The bill declares the existence of national importance for the immediate implementation of the flagship projects of the President.

Flagship manager
The measure designates the chairman of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) as flagship manager.

The bill also authorizes special modes of procurement while installing safeguards through the implementation of the EO on Freedom of Information and creation of a Congressional Oversight Committee.

The measure said an initial amount necessary to carry it out will be sourced from the current year’s budget of the concerned agencies implementing this Act and from National Government savings.

The bill also created a Congressional Oversight Committee, tasked with monitoring implementation of this act an exercise of the authority granted.

Meanwhile, among these projects are: Sangley Airport, Unified Grand Central Station, LRT 2 West Extension, Bicol (New Legaspi) International Airport, Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road Project, Metro Cebu Expressway Project, Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway, Boracay Circumferential Road, Sindangan-Bayog-Lakewood Road, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte, Davao City Coastal Road Project, including Bucana bridge, Cagayan de Oro Coastal Road, Surallah-T’boli-San Jose Road, South Cotabato, Metro Manila BRT Line 1 (Quezon Ave), Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1, MRT 3 Rehabilitation Project, LRT 2 East Extension.

North-South Commuter Railway (PNR North 1), North-South Commuter Railway Extension (PNR North 2, PNR South Commuter), PNR South Long Haul, New Dumaguete (Bacong) Airport, Cebu Bus Rapid Transit, New Cebu International Container Port, New Zamboanga International Airport, Mindanao Rail Project Phase 1, Subic Clark Railway, China Grant Bridges (Binondo-Intramuros Bridge and Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge), Arterial Road ByPass Project Phase III (Plaridel Bypass), Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project, Guicam Bridge, Tawi-Tawi Interlink Bridges, Davao City Bypass Construction Project, Road Network Development Project in Conflict Affected Areas in Mindanao are also included in the list of projects.

Source: Business Mirror