WITH the media focused on the military campaign against the terror forces in Marawi, the public is left in the dark about what’s going on with the priority projects of the Duterte government. The last time I heard was that there were 61 major infrastructure projects being considered for funding sourced out from foreign loans and general appropriations. Some projects are also being eyed for possible Public-Private-Partnerships.
Syndicated loans mostly from China had been committed while Japan sustained its readiness to help in various areas of undertaking ranging from infrastructures to other form of assistance. In fact, had it not for the Marawi siege, President Duterte should have flown to Tokyo to sign another accord. But that one could wait.
But it’s not all about the Mautes and ISIS terrorists that preoccupy the Duterte government. While the country observes the end of Ramadan with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the officials of the Department of Transport, led by Sec. Arthur Tugade, also marked the 17 stations of the railway connecting Tutuban, Manila and Clark. Travel time in this 106 kilometer distance will be cut down by 70 percent. But the added intangible advantage here is that it will decongest traffic in greater Manila area.
Early this month Secretary Tugade and railway projects point-person USEC Cesar Chavez were in Davao also to brief local government officials and Regional Development Council Chairman Anthony del Rosario on the 102-kilometer railway that would link Tagum, Davao and Digos cities.
The Manila-Tutuban railway will start construction this year while the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment will commence next year. TDD is part of the eastern corridor Mindanao Railway System. Funding will come from General Appropriation which shall be passed by Congress next year and will cost about P35-billion. A little birdie told me that there was an attempt to pare the budget by P6-billion until he realized it’s Duterte’s dream to have that train running since he assumed office a Mayor of Davao City. That is as far as DOTr railway projects are concerned. Sec. Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways, on the other hand, has a long list of vital infrastructure projects. I wish I can interview Secretary Villar so I can help report to the nation what his department is doing. But in southeastern Mindanao a super highway that is designed to decongest the Carlos Garcia Highway (more popularly known to the locals as diversion road) will be up for bid soon. CPGH is being used by long-bed delivery trucks loaded with refrigerated vans that transport bananas and fresh pineapples from as far as Cotabato provinces to the special container ports in Davao City and Panabo City in Davao del Norte. The proposed highway will be parallel to CPGH and the proposed railway. It will cut travel time and insures freshness of fresh fruits and also livestock to ports of destination.
What I specially noticed since the Duterte administration took over is the speed by which projects of the previous Aquino government had been accomplished. For years and months those skyway projects in NAIA seem to take eternity to finish. When President Duterte assumed and Secretary Villar was placed in the helm of DPWH construction activities went on high gear. I do not know how and what Villar did but I like the way he did it.
The other area where we see actions taking place is the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. SBMA is one of the potential revenue earners of the government for not a few big foreign investors are interested in locating to the vast expanse of what used to be a US navy complex. I have friends living around the vicinity of SBMA who intimated to me about the internal squabbles in the Authority which, the claimed, have become veritable deterrent to its plans and programs.
Early on, President Duterte appointed Martin Diño, the PDP Presidential bet who gave way to the Davao City Mayor to run in his stead. I do not know whether it is true that Duterte also appointed Diño administrator concurrent to his position as Chairman.
It is not secret that in the previous administration SBMA became a virtual nest of corruption and entry point of drug smuggling. The assignment therefore, was an acid test for Diño so he created a special task force that probes and monitors operations of business locators in SBMA. In the meantime, Diño busied himself talking to big investors from China. There is rationale in this strategy since SBMA has space and facilities and it comes as an expected option for those Chinese investors to consider. Besides, it is of public knowledge among Chinese businessmen that freight and commuter trains will eventually be constructed liking SBMA to Clark and eventually to Tutuban in Manila.
For one reason or another, a certain Wilma Eisma, said to be a former tobacco company executive, was also appointed Administrator. This is when and where the squabbling started.
Diño’s calvary is that the members of the Board of SBMA are reported to be siding with Eisma.
I have not met Diño in person but having been part of the struggle to have a Mindanaowon be President, I gave him the sole distinction as the man who dropped from the presidential derby to give way to Duterte. I heard him talk in one of the video posts on Facebook and I realized he is tooooo soft spoken to be able to assert himself. Snubbing a Chairman is not the way to treat a person with a gentle mien as Martin Diño. When a situation like this paralyzes an important government agency like SBMA the President should make a choice. Fire all the members of the Board of Directors including Eisma or fire Diño.