The current administration’s Build, Build, Build program has generated 6.5 million jobs since it began in 2016, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported.
According to the DPWH, 1.6 million workers were hired in 2020 alone. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua on Friday said this is why infrastructure projects are given a huge chunk of the country’s budget amid the pandemic.
“Nowhere in our history did we exceed 5% of GDP. Ten years ago, that was our aspired goal. We could not reach even more than 2% of our GDP,” Chua said.
Up to 40 infrastructure flagship projects are expected to be completed under the current administration. The budget used by the administration for Build, Build, Build is thrice higher than the infrastructure project spending of the previous administration.
With a year left under Duterte’s term, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said they will continue the construction of projects despite the delays brought about by the pandemic.
The government is set to open the LRT-2 East Extension on June 22, while the Central Luzon Link Expressway and Pantaleon Estrella Bridge will become available for public use in July.
“Tuloy-tuloy pa rin ‘yung paggawa ng details engineering studies para sa susunod na administrasyon. Malaki ang pipeline ng mga projects. Kami, noong nagsimula kami, wala kami masyadong pipeline,” DPWH Sec. Mark Villar said. – Report from Karen Villanda/AG-rir
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