As I write this, the steady whirr of equipment at a nearby construction project reminds me about government infrastructure and how it continues to drive livelihoods at this time.
Talked about by many both here and abroad, the Build Build Build infrastructure program of the government is noticed even more with the recent launch of many infrastructure projects.
In a recent MB article, important statistics shed better light on this program by focusing on numbers such as the increased spending of the current government on infrastructure totalling P2.536 trillion from 2016 to 2020 projects all over the country, with jobs for 6.5 million workers, perhaps adding more.
(https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/18/villar-build-build-build-has-produced-6-5m-jobs-since-2016/)
Now, the budgets are a departure from those of the previous government, for which will no longer delve into criticisms against it about its infra program. Feel free to search about this online.
Likewise, contrary to the beliefs of a few who believe that BBB is unnecessary, this program is vital to pushing long over due development in the countryside, especially in Mindanao, which is the country's emerging economic hub and gateway to Asean.
Many of us in Mindanao are seeing an infrastructure age which many have never experienced, with new road routes and facilities being built, improving connectivity and competitiveness. Yes, Build Build Build matters and is appreciated.
Apart from the jobs the BBB projects create, let me list and explain other reasons why the program matters.
First, projects are catalysts for private developments. New property developments take shape near new roads and bridges and in cities where new airports and ports and railways are upgraded or built. These private property development projects lay the ground for other investments to come in, and more jobs to be created.
Second, new infrastructure improves mobility of large economic sectors and will lessen vehicular traffic in many cities. In can imagine the first phase of the Mindanao Railway and the NSCR between Clark and Calamba providing seamless transport between urban hubs for commuters. Likewise, the Cebu-Cordova Link Bridge will improve traffic within Cebu, a city many in Mindanao call their ancestral home.
Third, new roads connect the hinterlands and provide opportunities to drive peace and development.
A friend who I spoke with recently told me how much easier and safer it now is to travel between Mindanao cities due to better highways linking them. Products from the interior provinces can better make it to port cities, and on to export markets.
Fourth, better infrastructure lures manufacturing investments. Those of you who have read my previous columns know how vital it is for Mindanao to process a lot of its products and resources to add value and create income opportunities not only for the country’s second largest island, but for the millions of Mindanaoans who migrated to Luzon and the Visayas over the last 50 years who wish to come home.
In the long term, along with recent tax and economic reforms such as lowering corporate income taxes, better infrastructure can make a place attractive for investors.
This creates income opportunities and lowers costs for all businesses large and small due to better and faster connectivity with suppliers and broadening its reach with customers, thereby engaging their capability to expand and create more jobs.
As the nearby construction activities continue humming, I just think that building more of the needed infrastructure to boost and spread economic growth and recovery needs to continue.
For reactions: facebook.com/johntriapage