The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is fast-tracking physical connectivity infrastructure - seaports, airports, and mass transport, which account for 83 percent of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s "Build Better More" program.

"The underlying logic to our infrastructure development is economic efficiency," the President stressed in his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

"We are opening up all gateways to mobilize goods and services at less cost and in less time, and ultimately, to drive the economy," the chief executive maintained.

Accordingly, "The DOTr will speed up the momentum in completing more transport infrastructures and projects aimed at moving more people, products, and services and trigger economic growth," Secretary Jaime Bautista pledged Tuesday, July 25 , 2023

Apart from the massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System and the over 1,000 kilometers of railway projects that the government has initiated, on the pipeline are other big-ticket rail infrastructure such as the LRT-1 Cavite Extension, MRT-4, MRT-7, and the country's first-ever underground railway, the Metro Manila Subway.

Bautista also cited crucial airport projects such as the NAIA privatization, Clark International Airport (CRK), airport projects New Manila International Airport in Bulacan and Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite.

Already, 29 aviation infra projects had been completed, including the Butuan Airport and CRK's Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTBs), while 10 other regional airports will be developed.

The government even went beyond port development projects with the continued recognition of the European Union's (EU) Philippine maritime education and its €4 million technical aid to Filipino seafarers, Bautista pointed out.

"The question about the European Union’s recognition of the standards of training of Filipino seafarers has, after 17 years, finally been resolved," the President acknowledged.

As the Marcos administration seeks Congress' support on road-related legislations such as the Motor vehicle user’s charge and road user’s tax, the DOTr focuses on public road transport projects.

These include the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) and Davao Public Transport Modernization Project, along with the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Project (PUVMP), Active Transport, and EDSA Busway.

"We are focusing on public transport so that private car owners would prefer public transportation," Bautista concluded.