PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. delivered a one-hour-and-22-minute speech for his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 22, 2024 – and not a single big-ticket project for Davao Region was ever mentioned.
Marcos delivered his Sona at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
To recall, Marcos, in his second Sona on July 24, 2023, mentioned that under the Mega Bridge Program, the P23.4-billion Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) is one of his priorities in infrastructure.
“Under the Mega Bridge Program, 12 bridges totaling 90 kilometers will be constructed, connecting islands and areas separated by waters. The program notably includes the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge and the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island bridges — each spanning 32 kilometers — and also the Samal Island-Davao City connector bridge,” Marcos said in his Sona speech last year.
Marcos said SIDC is included under the Mega Bridge Program aimed to connect islands and areas separated by waters.
It can be noted that the president together with other government officials, including former Davao City mayor and now Vice President Sara Duterte, led the lowering of the time capsule that signaled the start of construction of the bridge, which will connect the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) in Davao del Norte to Davao City in October 2022.
The president also mentioned the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP).
Marcos, in his first Sona days after officially assuming the presidency, vowed to continue the big-ticket projects of the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, including MRP and the High Priority Bus System (HPBS), which is now called the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTM), under his administration.
"The infrastructure program of the Duterte administration must not only continue but, wherever possible, be expanded," Marcos said during his first Sona on July 25, 2022.
The President highlighted in his speech that he is committed to continuing the current portfolio of investments, especially mentioning the 102-kilometer MRP.
Along with other pending railway projects, the President said railways offer great potential to be the "cheapest way of transporting goods and passengers."
"It is my belief also that we have missed some great opportunities to develop our rail transport system," he said.
Marcos led the signing of the $1-billion loan agreement for the DPTM between the Philippine government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Davao City on July 1, 2023.
However, in his latest Sona, Marcos Jr. assured Filipinos that his administration’s infrastructure program is on track.
Marcos said that several sectors benefit from the government’s infrastructure push — which will be the key to reaching the country’s goal of achieving upper-middle income status.
“As we enter the midterm, our infrastructure development remains sustained, strategic, and on schedule. Aside from agriculture and disaster risk, our other vital sectors and pillars, such as education, health, energy, low-cost housing, transport, and information technology, all stand to benefit from our aggressive infrastructure development as befitting our upper middle-income economic target,” he said.
“With the results that we have seen two years into this administration, we can claim that despite challenges, we are steadily progressing over our targets in the medium term,” he added.
Marcos highlighted that at least 12,000 kilometers of road had been built, while 1,200 bridges were constructed or repaired under his administration.
“As of May this year, 12,000 kilometers worth of road and more than 1,200 bridges have been built and upgraded across the country. Of note, we have provided a budget to upgrade 367 bridges, and almost 1,600 kilometers of road along our country’s longest thoroughfare, the Maharlika Highway from Luzon all the way to Mindanao,” he said.
“Moreover, significant segments of major expressways which are part of the Luzon spine expressway network have now been open to the public, the CLLEX (Central Luzon Link Expressway), NLEX-SLEX (North Luzon Expressway – South Luzon Expressway) connector and the Plaridel Bypass will be fully completed by the end of this year,” he said.
These roads, Marcos noted, will link Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, National Capital Region, and Southern Luzon even more.
“Dahil sa mga mahahalagang daan na ito, ang Norte, Gitnang Luzon, Maynila, at Katimugang Luzon ay lalo pa ngayon magiging mas konektado sa isa’t isa,” he said. RGL
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