The Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee and the Committee on Infrastructure Cabinet Level jointly approved the revised list of 100 infrastructure flagship projects on Wednesday.
Presidential adviser for flagship programs and projects secretary Vince Dizon presented the revised list during the meeting of the two committees under the National Economic and Development Authority. Dizon is also the president and CEO of state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
“Continuity is what is most important for President [Rodrigo] Duterte. This is why all of the 100 flagship projects will be started under his term, with a significant number completed while some will be partially operational by 2022. The rest will have significant progress moving into the next administration,” said Dizon.
“The ‘Build, Build, Build’ program was never just about the Duterte administration. It’s about building for the future to propel the Philippines to a developed-country status by 2040 and make the lives of Filipinos more comfortable,” he said.
The 100 flagship projects cover five categories, with transport and mobility as the top priority. The other four are power, water, information and communications technology and urban development and renewal.
Included in the list are the Metro Manila Subway Project, North South Commuter Railway, Clark International Airport Expansion Project, Cebu Monorail System, Panay-Guimaras Negros Bridge, Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge and the Mindanao Rail Project.
It is also an evolving list as new projects of national and regional importance will be included later on, especially in the Visayas and Mindanao.
“The swift implementation of these flagship projects is paramount to us and this sentiment is shared by the Filipino people; and the government, with the help of the private sector and our partner international agencies, will deliver,” Dizon said.
Costing P4.2 trillion, the 100 flagship projects are part of the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program composed of thousands of infrastructure projects to be implemented all over the country.
The estimated cost for the whole program is more than P8 trillion. Of the total projects, 26 will be implemented through public-private-partnership scheme.
“Unfortunately, PPP concession agreements executed in the past failed to promote public interest. The government has been tied to provisions such as automatic rate increases, commitments of non-interference and non-compete clauses, which strip it of its ability to require concessionaires to improve services, all of which have been detrimental to the public interest. Under this administration, such disadvantageous provisions will not be allowed,” said Dizon.