The pandemic took away two years of a six-year term of implementing projects and the administration's "Build, Build, Build" (BBB) infrastructure program "could have gotten a very excellent rating" without it.
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This was the assessment made by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Finance Giovanni Lopez in the April 5, 2022 Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) press briefing at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City.
“We’d like to give it a very good rating. Are we satisfied? Yes, given the present situation and circumstances. But could we have done more? Definitely," he remarked.
"Despite the pandemic, I think the entire BBB program has been doing very, very good and we are really pushing it hard. I think our rating is very good at this point in time,” he stressed.
The DOTr completed major transport infrastructure projects and will continue working on up to the last day of the term of Secretary Arthur Tugade.
After many decades of neglect, from 77 kilometers of railways in 2016, the country now has 1,209 kilometers of railways, Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III acknowledged.
From only 61 operational stations, the figure will increase to 208 by the end of 2022.
With previous operational train cars at 224, this has now increased to 1,386.
"Filipinos can now travel more conveniently with an increasingly expansive and efficient railway system,” the Finance Secretary noted.
He also cited the Metro Manila Subway Project.
“With the generous support of Japan, what is once has been considered a dream subway, is now about to become a reality.”