More than 70,000 infrastructure projects are expected to be implemented around the country this year, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan announced. "[T]he Department of Public Works and Highways for this year, for 2023, is going to implement more than 70,000 projects actually, including iyong mga major projects and local projects all over the country with a budget allocation of about P890 billion)," Bonoan said during a Palace briefing on Tuesday, March 14. The DPWH chief also disclosed that several flagship projects of the government are "ready for inauguration." These include the  NLEX-SLEX Connector, Cavite-Laguna Expressway, Samar Pacific Coastal Road, Cavite-Bataan Bridge, six bridges across Ilog Pasig, and flood-mitigation projects in Mindanao. Other projects poised to be implemented this year are key infrastructure projects under government agencies such as farm-to-market roads, tourism roads, and school buildings. Bonoan further said that included in the 70,000 infrastructure projects are the projects that received investment pledges during President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s foreign trips. "Yes, of course. I mentioned some of them actually, kagaya iyong mga (the) projects that we are going to ground break, iyong mga (the) projects that are going to be financed from the Chinese Exim Bank," Bonoan said when asked if some of these projects were an outcome of the President's foreign trips. During the sectoral meeting with Marcos, Bonoan presented the achievement of the government's principal infrastructure arm last year. He said from July to December last year, the DPWH has implemented, maintained, constructed and improved about 1,500 kilometers of national roads and local roads all over the country. The department has also undertaken the construction of about 161 bridges along national roads and implemented 851 flood control projects during the period.