By Charles Dantes
Twelve flagship infrastructure projects may be completed this year, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Wednesday.
These include the C5 South Link Expressway Project, Southeast Metro Manila Expressway Project, and the proposed Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines, NEDA said on its website.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said a good part of these projects started during the previous administration.
“Four of those projects are on schedule, one is ahead of schedule, [and] the rest have some challenges but we are… addressing those challenges,” Balisacan told Palace reporters.
“At least we have 12 of those projects. Next year, we are expecting about 16 projects [to be] completed,” he said.
Balisacan added that many of the projects starting now would be completed in the next administration.
As of July 2023, there are 71 ongoing projects worth P4.11 trillion, which increased from the 68 projects reported in the first quarter of the year.
The three additional projects that moved on to the “ongoing” phase are the Metro Cebu Expressway, the Nautical Highway Network Improvement, and the Daang Maharlika Improvement projects.
Out of the 123 flagship projects, 27 have secured approval for immediate implementation, eight await government approval, 52 are currently in the preparatory stages, and 36 are in the pre-project preparation phase as of July 2023.