NEWS

By Cai Ordinario

Spanning 9,450 hectares, the New Clark City is being touted as the first smart, green and resilient metropolis in the country. It is one of the big-ticket projects of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority. Israeli firms interested in offering green technology and digital solutions are among the latest parties interested in New Clark City.

PROJECTS approved by the Duterte administration exceeded P3 trillion as of February 2021, according to data released by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

Based on Neda Board approvals as of February 2021, approvals reached P3.8 trillion covering 91 infrastructure projects.

At the start of the Duterte administration, the government had aimed to spend P7 trillion to P8 trillion worth of projects to usher in the “golden age of infrastructure.”

The top 10 projects approved by the Neda Board had a collective price tag of P2.78 trillion or 72.45 percent of the total approved by the Duterte administration in over four years of the President’s
term.

The largest project approved by the administration is the Unsolicited Proposal for the Bulacan International Airport Project which costs P735.634 billion.

It will be undertaken through Public Private Partnership (PPP) by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The project involves the construction, operation and maintenance of the Bulacan International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan, and consists of airport development (including passenger terminal building, airside and landside facilities), and an 8.4-kilometer tollway to serve as airport access connecting to North Luzon Expressway at Marilao, Bulacan.

Another big-ticket project approved by the Neda Board was the North-South Commuter Railway System (NSCR) Extension Malolos-Clark Railway Project and PNR South Commuter Railway.

The project’s new cost of P628.421 billion and change in scope was approved by the Neda Board; it will be funded Official Development Assistance (ODA) and undertaken by the DOTr.

Another big-ticket approval was the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP)-Phase 1, to cost P356.974 billion, to be financed through ODA and also undertaken by the DOTr.

The project is a 25.3-km subway, to run from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to FTI in Taguig then to Naia. Its components include civil works; electromechanical, signaling, and telecommunications systems; station facilities; depot facilities; land acquisition; and procurement of rolling stock.

The top 10 also includes the Malolos-Clark Railway Project or Philippine National Railways (PNR) North 2, to cost around P211.425 billion, financed through ODA and undertaken by DOTr.

It entails construction of a commuter line and airport express railway between Malolos and Clark Green City (CGC) through Clark International Airport (CRK) or a total of 69.5 kilometers.

The P189.526-billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project and the P175.656-billion Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB) Project are also on the list. Both are ODA-financed, to be implemented by DPWH.

The Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges project entails construction of a 32.47-km, four-lane, two sea-crossing bridges, including connecting roads and interchanges to connect the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros.

The BCIB entails construction of a 32.15-km, four-lane bridge from Mariveles, Bataan, crossing Manila Bay and terminating in Naic, Cavite.

The next three projects are the PNR South Long Haul Project or formerly North-South Railway Project (NSRP)-South Line; North-South Commuter Railway System (NSCR) Phase 1 (Malolos-Tutuban); and the Mindanao Railway Project: Tagum-Davao-Digos (MRP-TDD) Segment. All three projects are ODA-funded, to be implemented by DOTr.

The P175.318-billion PNR South Long Haul Project will have two components, the South Commuter or Tutuban-Los Baños segment and the South Long Haul or the Los Baños-Bicol, Sorsogon, Batangas segments.

The Neda Board approved the cost increase and change in scope for the NSCR Phase 1 or Malolos-Tutuban segment, bringing the total project cost to P149.13 billion. The project was also initially approved by the Neda Board under the Aquino administration.

The Board also approved the cost increase and changes in scope of the MRP-TDD Segment, the first phase of the 830-km MRP loop. The approved changes increased the project cost to P81.686 billion.

The list of top 10 projects also included the P74.413-billion Cebu-Mactan Bridge (4th Bridge) and Coastal Road Construction Project, to be financed through ODA and implemented by DPWH.

It entails building a 3.3-km bridge with an elevated viaduct of 3.385 km, with two lanes in each direction.

The project includes construction of a 4.9-km, four-lane coastal road with a 4.751 elevated viaduct. Neda noted that interchanges will be constructed at the linkage between the two projects in Mandaue City.

Earlier, in a joint statement, the President’s economic team said the country’s recovery from 2020’s lockdown-caused recession will also rely on efforts to speed up implementation of infrastructure projects.

“We need to ensure that programs already budgeted for under Bayanihan II and under the 2020 and 2021 budgets are implemented quickly. Our recovery and long-term development prospects also hinge on accelerating the infrastructure program, which has the highest multiplier effect on jobs and on the economy,” the economic managers said.

The government intended to spend P7.74 trillion for infrastructure between 2016 and 2022 under the Public Investment Program (PIP) for 2017 to 2022.

Source: Business Mirror