House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

A House measure providing for a 30-year national infrastructure program from 2023 up to 2052 was overwhelmingly passed on third and final reading Monday, May 22.

Garnering 254 affirmative votes during plenary session was House Bill (HB) No. 8078, which aims to put in place a long-term system of funding and sustaining public infrastructure projects for the benefit of the people.

Deputy Speaker and Antipolo City 1st district Rep. Roberto Puno announced the final passage bill, which received just three negative votes and zero abstentions during nominal voting.

The bill is also among the Legislative-Executive Development Council (LEDAC) measures of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

“This will be an all-encompassing program covering not only public works like roads, bridges and expressways, which we commonly refer to as infrastructure, but also energy, water resources, information and technology, agri-fisheries, food logistics, and socially oriented structures such as school buildings and other educational facilities,” House Speaker Martin Romualdez said.

“It would institutionalize the ‘Build, Better, More’ program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to support a strong economy that would generate more job and income opportunities for our people, and build a resilient and reliable national infrastructure network,” he said.

Build, Better, More is the Marcos administration's sequel of sorts to the "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure initiative of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

HB No. 8078 mandates the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), in consultation with implementing agencies and stakeholders, formulate the 30-year infrastructure program in detail, including measurable targets and the selection, prioritization and phasing of specific projects.

The measure provides that the total annual allocation for the program shall be at least five percent of gross domestic product, provided that the constitutional command giving budgetary priority to education shall be observed.

The government may also tap official development assistance as funding source.

The NEDA and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) shall determine the funding allotment for each implementing agencies based on their priorities, absorptive capacity and performance.

Projects under the program may be undertaken by the national government through its implementing agencies, by the private sector through public-private-partnership (PPP) agreements, PPPs in partnership with local government units, or a combination of those modalities.

The proposed law defines the functions and responsibilities of implementing agencies in each sector of the 30-year national infrastructure program, starting with transport and logistics; energy; water resources; information and communications technology; social infrastructure; and agri-fisheries modernization and food logistics.

It also lists numerous “core national infrastructure projects” throughout the country in each sector.

The NEDA is tasked to regularly update the list of core projects to reflect changes in development policies, in economic, physical and social conditions, and in the status of the projects.