The Duterte administration will deliver a total of 163 infrastructure projects worth P88.76 billion this year, either in partial or full commercial operation, according to Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade.
At the Sulong Pilipinas: Pre-SONA for Economic Development and Infrastructure Clusters Forum, Tugade emphasized the Duterte administration’s accomplishments.
Tugade noted that prior to this administration, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was the world's worst airport, notorious for baggage tampering and pilferages.
However, under the current administration, NAIA has been ranked as tge 10th most improved airport in the world in 2018 and the government is rehabilitating it todate.
He also boasted that the Land Transportation Office (LTO) used to issue paper receipts instead of drivers' license cards, with a backlog of three million.
Now, Tugade said, the LTO has addressed the backlog and issues driver license cards valid for 5 years. It will issue drivers licenses valid for 10 years within this year.
The LTO had also a backlog of 8 million license plates from 2013-2016. It wasn't issuing any plates for all types of vehicles. Now, LTO has acquired a plate-making robot and produced over 3 Million pairs of motor vehicle plates.
According to Tugade, traffic congestion plagued EDSA and it took three hours to go from Monumento to Pasay. Now, transport authorities have established the EDSA Busway, along with dedicated bike lane networks, cutting travel time from Monumento to Pasay to 45-50 minutes.
In addition, the EDSA Metro Rail Transit ( MRT3) was notorious for stalling and derailment.
To date, the MRT-3 has no more unloading incidents and its rehabilitation will be completed this December.
Its running trains had been increased from 10-14 to 23 and its speed has doubled from 30 kilometers per hour to 60 kms/hour, slashing waiting times from 9 minutes to 3.5 minutes.
Apart from solving long-standing issues, the DOTr has also worked on imementing long-overdue transport infrastructure projects, Tugade stressed.
He cited the Metro Manila Subway, which had been planned in 1973 but remained in the drawing board for 40 years, through 6 administrations.
Now, the project is finally moving and actual consyruction will start before the end of this year, Tugade declared.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension project has also been delayed for almost two decades. The National Economic and Development Authority already approved the project in 2000, but no progress was made until full blast construction started in MAY, 2019. "Now, its construction is 54.41 per cent complete," the DOTr Secretary noted.
He also cited Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 1, the construction of which is being accelerated, with 45.02 percent overall progress rate.
Furthermore, for the first time in 50 years, PNR now has new and cutting-edge trains."
In addition, there's MRT-7, which the DOTC submitted in 2001, but no single post was erected until June 2016. "Now, it is 60.58 percent complete."
The longest project in the drawing board was the Mindanao Railway, conceived way back in 1950.
The project has no completed feasibility study, no NEDA approval, contract, and investment until 2016.
Also, the NEDA board has already approved the Midnanao Railway Project to date.
Other delayed projects include the LRT-2 East Extension, the construction of which is moving at an accelerated pace, with an overall progress rate of 96.51 percent. It will be inaugurated in June 2021.
The Common Station, delayed for 9 years, is being built at present and will be partially operable this December.
"Please note that the investment poured by this administration in the railways sector under the Build Build Build Program is significantly larger than the total railway investments in the last 50 years combined," Tugade underscored.
In the air transport sector, the DOTr, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), completed 121 airport projects in the past 5 years.
These include the Bohol-Panglao International Airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and Clark International Airport’s Terminal 2.
Some 114 airport projects are currently underway, including the Bicol International Airport, which now stands at 79.74 percent overall progress rate, after being delayed for 13 years.
Before, the country only has 3 air traffic radars covering just 30 percent of the Philippine airspace.
After an almost decade of delay, the government acquired Communications Navigation Surveillance / Air Traffic Management System (CNS/ATM) plus 10 air traffic radars covering 100 percent of the Philippine airspace.
For the maritime sector, the DOTr and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) completed 426 projects in 5 years, including the country’s biggest passenger terminal building at the Cagayan De Oro Port.
Before, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) only had 20 percent operational lighthouses all over the country, with outdated and insufficient maritime security assets.
Now, the PCG has increased the operational efficiency of lighthouses, operating 600 total, and comes equipped with state-of-the-art maritime assets. With the 435 days remaining in the President’s term of office, the DOTr committed not to stop and instead, deliver more.