MANILA – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board has approved 13 infrastructure projects worth PHP1.02 trillion, including Metro Manila’s first ever subway and five other projects that will be implemented with Japanese support.
The NEDA said Japan official development assistance (ODA) will help fund six projects, which include the PHP356.97-billion Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1, co-financing of the commuter line of PHP299.4-billion Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Commuter and South Longhaul Project, PHP211.43-billion Malolos-Clark Railway Project, PHP9.89-billion Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project, PHP8.02-billion Maritime Safety Capability Project, and PHP5.26-billion Arterial Road Bypass Project-Phase III.
Of the six projects with total cost of around PHP715 billion, five are related to transportation while one is related to flood management.
“Our focus on the transportation sector is part of the bigger mission to decongest Metro Manila, and bring development to the regions, which is embedded in our National Spatial Strategy,” NEDA Director-General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said in a statement.
In view of the Japan International Cooperation Agency study’s estimated PHP3.5 billion cost of traffic in Metro Manila, Pernia said the government is implementing measures to ease traffic congestion in the mega cities of the country.
“This estimated economic loss in daily traffic is massive, and we must act fast. We are looking at this problem in a comprehensive way. We recognize that transportation is the enabler and driver of socioeconomic development, that is why we have the National Transport Policy (NTP) approved by the NEDA Board,” Pernia said.
The NTP aims to unify all transport-related projects in the country. It synchronizes decisions and investments of all transport-related agencies and better coordinate such efforts between the national and local levels.
Aside from the six new projects that will be financed by Japan, seven new projects will be funded with assistance from other ODA partners.
These seven projects approved by the NEDA Board are the PHP37.76-billion Metro Manila Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)-EDSA; PHP25.26-billion Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project; PHP23.45-billion Metro Manila Flood Management Project Phase 1;
PHP20.31-billion Safe Philippines Project, Phase 1; PHP9.19-billion New Cebu International Container Port; PHP7.92-billion Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility; and PHP5.97-billion Priority Bridges under the Pasig River, Marikina River and Manggahan Flood Bridges Construction Project (Binondo-Intramuros and Estrella-Pantaleon Bridges). (PNA)
