‘Build Build Build mitigates COVID-19 impact’

MANILA, Philippines — The government spent P1.02 trillion for its Build Build Build Program in 2021, which was significant for the country’s economic recovery in the wake of the COVID pandemic, according to a Malacañang official.

“Despite the limitations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not lost the momentum of our Build Build Build Program,” Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said during a recent press briefing.

“It played a major role in the recovery of our economy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Nograles said.

The administration’s infrastructure spending for the Build Build Build Program last year was equivalent to 5.1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, he said.

Among the projects completed last year were 233 airport and 484 seaport projects nationwide, he added.

Nograles said the government completed the construction and rehabilitation of a railway, with eight more such projects ongoing.

Five railway projects are undergoing design and procurement including the Department of Transportation’s Metro Manila Rail Network as well as the Metro Manila Subway Project.

The budget for the government’s infrastructure program was expected to increase by 5.8 percent this year.

President Duterte on Dec. 30 signed into law the P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022.

Duterte did not veto any significant item in the budget, said Budget and Management officer-in-charge Tina Canda.

Duterte vetoed the application of Agrarian Reform law in state universities and colleges, use of commercial and thrift banks by the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Transportation’s gender-responsive restroom program.