BBB implementation hits record high P696 billion in 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Duterte administration’s Build Build Build program reached a new high last year in terms of the value of projects implemented amid strong headwinds, according to Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar.

Villar said P696.3 billion worth of projects were implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in 2019.

”Last year, despite strong headwinds – the late passage of the budget, the campaign ban which made it very difficult, very challenging to implement our projects – we were able to attain an unprecedented size in terms of projects implemented, the value of which is P696.3 billion,” he said.

”This has never been done before. This is the highest number of projects implemented under any administration,” Villar said.

From 2016 to 2019, the DPWH chief said P2.025 trillion worth of projects have been implemented by the agency.

These include 6,022 flood mitigation structures completed, 14,670 kilometers of roads constructed, widened and rehabilitated, 4,507 bridges constructed, widened and strengthened, 129,479 classrooms constructed, and 114 evacuation centers built.

Villar said the administration has also identified P380 billion-worth of projects to decongest EDSA, one of the major campaign promises of President Duterte.

”We needed to create a pipeline of projects that will be implemented within the term of the President that could relieve EDSA. Considering that we lose P3.5 billion daily in congestion, it’s definitely investments with high payback,” Villar said.

Among the projects seen to relieve EDSA traffic this year are San Miguel Corp.’s Skyway Stage 3 project and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.’s NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 extension project.

Villar said the Skyway Stage 3 project is already 76 percent complete and is set for opening by the second quarter.

The Harbor Link R10 Section, meanwhile, is 72 percent complete and is on track to be opened by March.

”Also with the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road by 2021, we will be delivering another blow to EDSA traffic,” Villar said.

”The promise to decongest EDSA is at hand. It is coming very soon. This year we’ll see major improvements in EDSA,” he added.