By Cai Ordinario, August 27 2019; Business Mirror
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/08/27/duterte-government-to-finish-21-big-ticket-projects/
Image Credit to Business World
The Duterte administration will complete less than a third of the infrastructure flagship projects by the end of the President’s term, according to documents released by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).
Neda documents furnished to reporters showed that as of July, only 21 projects will be completed by 2022. This is fewer than the Neda’s April estimate of 25 projects.
The 21 projects that are expected to be completed by 2022 cost P187.628 billion. The remaining 54 projects costing P2.23 trillion will be completed beyond 2022.
“In terms of project timelines, 21 projects are expected to be completed by 2022. The remaining 54 projects will be completed beyond 2022, but may commence implementation during the current administration,” the Neda document read.
Also, the document indicated that only 11 projects approved by the Neda Board will be completed by 2022. This is fewer than the 13 projects the agency reported in April.
The document also showed that only three projects are up for Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) and Neda Board approval as of July, fewer than the five reported in April.
BusinessMirror tried to get an explanation from Neda officials but they were unavailable for comment as of press time.
Of the 75 flagship projects, the Neda said 20 are under project development while four were recently submitted to the ICC for appraisal or approval.
Around 46 projects are under varying stages of implementation. Of these projects, 12 are securing budgets or are in the financing process and 16 are either under the detailed engineering stage or procurement stage.
The list of projects under implementation includes nine that are currently undergoing construction after two were completed as of July. It can be noted that in April, there were 11 projects undergoing construction.
Of the 20 projects that were under development, feasibility studies for six projects have been completed; those for seven projects are ongoing while the FS for the remaining seven have yet to take off.
Projects that are currently being evaluated by the ICC Technical Board are Aqueduct 7, which was proposed as the additional component of the Angat Water Transmission Improvement Project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Other projects up for ICC scrutiny are the Pasacao-Balatan Tourism Coastal Highway. The Neda said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) already submitted to the ICC the Final FS report submitted by the consultant.
The DPWH also submitted the final FS report to the ICC for the Camarines Sur Expressway Project, particularly the San Fernando-Pili Section.
The Neda documents also indicated that the ICC Technical Board deferred for endorsement its decision on the Quezon-Bicol Expressway Project.