THE economic team of the Duterte administration had reviewed and finally purged big ticket projects that are simply impossible to accomplish. These include Sorsogon-Samar and Leyte-Surigao bridges that are technically unachievable given the depth and the water current in the two channels that face the turbulent Pacific Ocean.
The economic team which is headed by Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez had whittled down the big ticket projects under the Build Build Build program of the Duterte administration to 75 from 100 and 10 of these will commence construction before the yearend.
Two major projects should interest Mindanaons. These are Panguil Bay Project, which will be funded by a loan from S. Korea in the amount of P4.858-billion and the first phase of the Mindanao Railway Project that would link Tagum, Davao, and Digos cities which has a fund of P35.257-billion from the General Appropriations Act and China loan.
Elsewhere in the country, some of the multi-billion infrastructure projects had already started. Two additional bridges that would span Pasig river to decongest traffic; improvement of the remaining sections along Pasig River starting from Delpan Bridge to Napindan channel; three “green city” projects in Clark under a hybrid Public-Private-Partnerships with funds from the national treasury and Official Development Assistance, the National Irrigation Administration Chico River pump-irrigation project and Bohol International Airport. Summed up, all the 10 projects which are now in construction phase of what is dubbed as the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” are worth P59.759 –billion.
But wait. What happened to the long-awaited Davao-Samal Bridge? Not a few queries were posted on Facebook expressing frustration over the non-inclusion of the estimated 2,830 meter-span which Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio said would provide vital link for trade and tourism for both areas through reduced transport cost and faster flow of people, goods and resources.
The Davao side of the bridge would connect the ongoing Coastal Bypass Road project, which provides connectivity within and outside of Davao City.
In her recent State of the City Address, Mayor Inday bared that the P23-billion Davao-Samal Bridge project is currently on the second stage of feasibility study, and that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has finalized the bridge’s design. So confident was she that the bridge will be finally constructed after 40 years in waiting she jested and her remarks landed on the front pages that she will commit suicide if the project remains unfinished by 2022.
Well, here is the good news. Secretary Dominguez sent me an update. He bared that the Feasibility Study was done by the Asian Development Bank last September and the economic cluster approved it early this November. It is #42 in the Department of Public Works and Highways list. Described as Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge, it will be up for construction although DPWH has not committed its completion date.
Assures Secretary Sonny, “Now that we have the study, the construction of the project has to be bidded out and the financing terms have to be negotiated”. He further revealed that China’s ODA will be tapped.
The challenge now will be on Sec. Mark Villar who seemed to be conservative with his department’s ability to finish the project before the end of term of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte by 2022.
By the way, Senator Frank Drilon is sleeping on his seat. Smarting after awakened from a deep slumber, he declared that the Build Build Build program of Duterte is a dismal failure. He was swamped with list of accomplished projects by DOTr and DPWH he somehow clamped up but found another horse to beat. This time the Southeast Asia Games cauldron, which was estimated to cost P55-million, is what preoccupies him in the Senate. Sounds big but compared to Olympic cauldrons, the amount is actually a pittance. But, Sen. Bong Go, who chairs the sports committee promised Drilon that if there is any hanky-panky in the project he will not spare any one should the senate call for a probe. In the meantime, the Senate passed the 2020 budget of the Philippine Sports Commission and appeared to have a modus vivendi to support the SEA Games as well as the Philippine athletes.