MANILA – Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects Vivencio Dizon said the government would deliver infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program, which are targeted for completion in 2020 and 2021 despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.
During an online forum of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines on Thursday, Dizon said these projects would help the country recover from the impact of Covid-19.
“The ‘Build, Build, Build’, or (the) unprecedented infrastructure program under the Duterte administration, is one of the key interventions that the government must do and must do swiftly in order to help us get out (of) the mess that has been brought about by Covid-19,” he said.
For this year, the government targets to complete the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, now 76-percent complete and is expected to be delivered by December; the Harbor Link that connects the North Luzon Expressway to North Harbor, estimated to be completed by the end of the year; the Clark International Airport, now 93-percent complete and is targeted to be delivered by July; the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) East Extension, which was 71-percent complete in October 2019 and is expected to be completed this year; and the Bonifacio Global City - Ortigas Center Link Road, which is 45-percent complete and will be delivered by December 2020 or early 2021.
Dizon, who is also president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), said the construction of two new bridges across Pasig River would be completed by 2021.
These include the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge and Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, which are scheduled for completion by February 2021, he said.
“By 2021, we are also going to complete two bridges across the Pasig. So there will be a total of three new bridges across the Pasig. This is the most number of bridges we did within one administration across the Pasig River and we are even envisioning to start five more bridges through an ODA (official development assistance) from China,” he added.
Dizon further said the government would push through with its rail projects, such as the LRT-1 Cavite Extension and Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7), which will be partially operational by 2021; the MRT-3 Rehabilitation Program to be completed by July 2021; and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Phase 1 connecting Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan, which is targeted to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2021.
On the other hand, the government moved the target completion of the Bicol International Airport from July to next year, he said.
Dizon added that the administration would also pursue big-ticket legacy projects, including the North-South Commuter Rail connecting Clark and Calamba, as well as the Metro Manila Subway. (PNA)
