Govt rushing infrastructure projects before 2016

   The country is trying to address the infrastructure backlog amid a steady economic growth.

During the Philippine Economic Briefing held on Tuesday (September 30), government leaders said they were working on closing the gap amid mounting problems on port congestion, traffic jams, inefficient mass transit, and dwindling power supply.

Among those who attended the briefing were Secretary Ramon Jimenez of the Deparment of Tourism, Secretary Rogelio Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA),Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya of the Transportation and Communications (DOTC) , and Governo Amando Tetangco Jr. of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)

For his part, Jimenez said: "In a situation where resources are tight, where growth, in fact, is new, you will find yourself very frequently – and I assure you're going to see more of it – you're going to see yourself going through periods of very tight capacity, before you actually see expansion."

Abaya announced that the DOTC will bid out projects in the coming months that will provide long-term relief for commuters – among them:

• the rehabilitation of six provincial airports, as well as improvements at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport.
• the expansioin of LRT Lines 1 and 2
• the developoment of the bus rapid transit system in Cebu City, Manila, and the Ortigas Center in Pasig
• the developoment of the Integrated Luzon Railway Project, which will connect Cagayan Valley and Sorsogon in the Bicol Region

Abaya tagged the last as "a truly inclusive project" because it would allow farmers and fisherfolk from the extreme ends of Luzon to send their goods to market and make them competitive.

According Singson, the DPWH also aims to complete the pavement of national roads - spanning a total of 3,000  kilometers - by 2016.

Asked for a reaction, analyst Astro del Castillo, managing director of First Grade Finance Inc., said the government must fast-track these projects if it wants economic growth to continue even after President Benigno Aquino III steps down in 2016.

"We would rather hope that the government really focus on the economic agenda rather than on politics," Del Castillo said.

Both the government and the private sector admit, though, that not everything could be done in the homestretch.

At the end of the day, the reforms should be able to withstand leadership changes to ensure that economic gains will be sustained in the long-term. - 9News Online from a report by Kristine de Guzman