Just before President Duterte's final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 26, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) boasted on social media its growing list of accomplishments for the past five years of the administration.
In his Facebook post, Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said the department has successfully initiated a "transformation" through the projects completed during his stint at the DOTr.
"This is not just a transformation of the transport infrastructure landscape. This is about the transformation in the way we do things—our culture. We changed the game," Tugade said.
In the aviation sector, Tugade said a total of 214 airport-related projects have been completed by the DOTr since 2016, while 100 more are ongoing.
These include the Clark International Airport’s new Terminal Building; the Mactan-Cebu International Airport; Bohol-Panglao International Airport; and the Sangley, Kalibo, Dumaguete, Ormoc, Tuguegarao, Camiguin, Tacloban, General Santos, Catanduanes, Zamboanga, Calbayog, the CNS/ATM, and Camiguin airports.
In the maritime sector, 451 seaport projects have been finished and 101 more are being fast-tracked.
Completed projects include the port of Cagayan de Oro, the country’s biggest port PTB to date; the Currimao Port in Ilocos Norte; Victoria Port in Laguna; the ports of Tagbilaran, Tubigon, and Maribojoc in Bohol; the ports of Borac, San Fernando, and Bataraza in Palawan; the ports of Dumaguete, Limasawa, and Ormoc; the ports of General Santos, Babak in Davao Del Norte, and Cantillan in Surigao in Mindanao.
"We have also initiated the modernization of our Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), in terms of assets and personnel, as well as the digitization of our port systems through the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)," Tugade added.
For the road sector, Tugade noted the completion of nearly 500 kilometers of bike lane networks in Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, and Metro Manila; the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange; the EDSA Busway; and the implementation of the Service Contracting Program which pays drivers on a per kilometer basis and grants them performance-based incentives.
In the railways sector, the DOTr has completed the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) East Extension Project. They are currently working on the LRT Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension, Common Station, Metro Manila Subway, Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7), MRT Line 3 (MRT-3) rehabilitation, North-South Commuter Railway (Calamba to Clark), Philippine National Railways (PNR) Bicol, and the Mindanao Railway.
Aside from the accomplished programs and projects, the DOTr chief said it is the "accountability, transparency, and commitment" of its employees that they are most proud of.
"The collective sense of urgency, purpose, and honesty inculcated have reinvigorated our people to perform with diligence and responsibility," Tugade said.
"I consider an execution of the shared values, like the value of punctuality, as a strong foundation for our success. Equally important is our uncompromising drive against corruption and red tape," he added.