MANILA – A group of Filipino migrant workers, composed mostly of engineers and architects, has commended the “Build, Build, Build” program of the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
During the first pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) forum on Friday, Jun Aguilar said the Duterte administration has made the Filipinos working abroad proud for the government’s great efforts to build more infrastructures in the country.
“This is the first time I’ve seen something like this,” Aguilar, chairperson of the Filipino migrant workers group, said in response to the presentation made by Public Works and Highway Secretary Mark Villar at the pre-SONA forum at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
In his presentation, Villar gave updates on the big ticket projects particularly road and expressway networks, railways, mass urban transport, subways, school buildings, social infrastructures, flood control, bridges, ports and airports, and New Clark City including world-class sports facilities that will be ready for country’s hosting of Southeast Asian Games next year.
Villar said the DPWH has a total of more than 20,000 small and big projects nationwide with nearly 5,000 of them have been approved by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).
The amount to be spent for the 75 flagship infrastructure projects alone would reach PHP8 trillion until 2022.
The “Build, Build, Build” program is expected to generate over 14,600 jobs.
Aguilar, an engineer, said the “Build, Build, Build” projects require huge responsibilities and their group is willing to help if given a chance.
“We are proud of this. You made us proud. The “Build, Build, Build” offers huge, huge responsibilities. For us, it is high time that what we do outside the country should be replicated here if given the opportunity,” he said.
Aguilar said the Philippine Council of Engineers and Architects (PCEA) based in Riyadh has offered to help the Philippine government in boosting the country’s “Golden Age of Infrastructure.”
The pre-SONA 2018 Forum was the first of the three part series entitled “Tatak ng Pagbabago” designed to inform the public about the major accomplishments of Duterte in his second year in Malacañang.
Aside from Infrastructure Cluster, the Economic Development Cluster headed by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, has made a review of the economic performance.
The forum will resume on July 11 with “Tatak ng Malasakit at Pagkakaisa” featuring the Participatory Governance and Human Development and Poverty Reduction Clusters.
The third part of the series is set on July 18 with “Tatak ng Katatagan” to be led by the Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Resiliency and the Security, Justice and Peace clusters. (Jelly Musico/PNA)
