NIGHT OWL When Secretary Mark Villar was first appointed in 2016 — a lot were critical. But after working with him for several years, I had no doubt, he will deliver. He has shown leadership in the most critical times — even when his own life is in danger. I remembered we were in Marawi to...
Anna Mae Y. Lamentillo In the second quarter of 2021, Philippines’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 11.8 percent, the highest since the fourth quarter of 1988. The biggest contributor to the increase was the construction sector, which is pegged at 25.7 percent. It was followed by...
Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo Back in 2016 — no one knew what "Build, Build, Build" meant or what it stood for. Critics had very little expectation of the team. They wagered against our success — not knowing that when they did — they gambled against the future of their country. They were certain...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo If you are in any way part of “Build, Build, Build” — be strong and steadfast. The truth will not change only because alternate realities are repeated, or that facts are often ignored. The attacks will be more vicious and it will be at a rate that we have...
29,264 kilometers of roads, 5,950 bridges, 214 airport and 451 seaport projects NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo I began writing this piece on “Build, Build, Build” while on my way back to Manila from Tarlac after inaugurating the first 18-kilometer segment of Central Luzon Link Freeway with...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo Davao City — Philippines’ largest city in terms of land area — was recognized as the second most livable city in the country among the 33 highly urbanized cities in the Philippines. This was the findings of Dr. John Vianne Murcia, specialist of the University...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo In the Roadmap Study for Sustainable Urban Development in Metro Cebu – Japan International Cooperation Agency predicted the increase of economic activity in the province by 15 times its 2010 level and the creation of one million jobs should the bluprint be...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo The first time I joined the President’s delegation — we were in Bicol region. Typhoon Nina, internationally known as Nock-ten, entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on December 23, 2016. It intensified into a typhoon on December 24 and made...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo Before my stint at “Build, Build, Build,” I worked with United Nations Development Program and Food and Agriculture Organization on their Typhoon Haiyan Response (locally known as Typhoon Yolanda). The first time I saw Tacloban (after the onslaught of Yolanda),...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo Metro Manila traffic has improved in recent months — but the “Build, Build, Build” team is not yet done. In the next 60 days, two bridges across Pasig River will open and is expected to decongest at least 50,000 vehicles out of EDSA and C5. The best part?...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo Of all the places — Palawan is one of the most memorable. The first time I went there, my boat sank and for almost an hour — we clung to a bamboo pole in the middle of the sea to survive. Ten years have passed and yet — I couldn’t forget the fateful night in...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo When I was in high school — I watched “The Bucketlist” with two of my closest friends — Karen Jumarang Tan and Chynna Cuna. It was a film staring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman about two terminally ill men on a road trip with a list of things to do...
