The government has revisited its massive Build, Build, Build (BBB) program, adding and striking out projects, according to fiscal space, project readiness, and implementation, the Manila Times reported.
According to the presidential adviser for flagship programs and projects, Vince Dizon, his office has prioritized endeavors that have sufficient funding and can begin construction immediately. He added that the projects that replaced those earlier planned are responsive to the needs post-pandemic.
The eight initiatives that have been suspended are:
- Bataan-Cavite Link Bridge
- Dalton Pass East Alignment
- New Zamboanga International Airport
- New Dumaguete Airport
- Panay River Basin Integrated Development
- Kabulnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power
- Kanan Dam project
- Guimaras-to-Negros portion of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge
The projects are worth P370 billion. Dizon shared that they will reconsider these endeavors in the next quarter and check their progress from ongoing feasibility studies.
Meanwhile, those that have been added to the infrastructure list are:
- Land Transportation Office (LTO) Central Command Center
- Motor Vehicle Recognition and Enhancement System
- National Broadband Program
- ICT (information and communications technology) Capacity Development and Management Program
- Water District Development Sector Projects
- National Irrigation Sector Rehabilitation and Improvement Project
- Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project Phase 2 in Tarlac
- Jalaur River Multipurpose Project in Iloilo
- Lower Agno River Irrigation System in Pangasinan
- Metro Manila Logistics Network
- NLEx Harbor Link Extension to Anda Circle
- General Santos City Airport
The Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines, the center that would be primarily responsible for research on infectious diseases, is also among the newly-added. The Department of Health (DOH) will be adding more projects, which are under review and approval of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
Prioritizing “health and digital economy projects,” Dizon pointed out that these will meet the public’s current needs, which emerged from the current pandemic. The initiatives are targeted for construction in 2022.
Of the 100 projects listed on the BBB, 92 were retained, amounting to P4.1 trillion in total.
Build, Build, Build COVID-19 Facilities
Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) continues to construct facilities that respond to the current global health emergency. In a report on their official website, the office aims to finish the construction of 23 more COVID-19 quarantine facilities in Metro Manila by the end of August.
Secretary Mark Villar acknowledged the need for speedy completion as the DOH declared a ‘danger zone’ in terms of hospital bed occupancy in the capital region. More than 70 percent are already occupied.
Spearheaded by nine district engineering offices, the project covers isolation and quarantine facilities in different parts of the metro: eight in Quezon City, four in Pasay, two in Pateros, and one each in Manila, Marikina, Parañaque, Makati, Valenzuela, Caloocan, Muntinlupa, Malabon, and Navotas. The total bed capacity is 2,417.
The facilities in Quezon City that are under construction include:
- Tandang Sora Senior High School Quarantine Facility (270 beds)
- Emilio Jacinto Senior High School (427 beds)
- Converted container vans at Quezon City General Hospital (44 beds), at Quezon City University (64 beds), and at the House of Representatives (16 beds)
- AFP Medical Hospital Compound, Quezon Institute Hospital Compound, and Camp Aguinaldo Hospital Compound (48 beds each)
Over at Pasay, the COVID-19 facilities that are underway are:
- Converted container van near WMall along Macapagal Avenue (172 beds)
- Villamor Airbase (72 beds)
- Pasay City Sports Complex (70 cubicles and two nurse stations)
- Folk Art Theater (276 beds and five nurse stations)
Meanwhile, in Pateros, there are two 64-bed healthcare facilities that will be built at Ramos Pateros Elementary School and another site. These will have four rooms dedicated to the medical staff.
In Manila, the DPWH is building a 58-bed capacity facility at Manuel L. Quezon University, which will have two nurse stations. Soon, Marikina will see an isolation center that has 124 beds. Parañaque and Makati, meanwhile, will have a quarantine station each that offers 56 beds and two rooms for health workers.
In Valenzuela City, a 56-bed capacity facility will be set up at Lingunan National High School Quadrangle. It will have four nurse stations. Likewise, the DPWH will be constructing quarantine centers at Caloocan City North Medical Center, accommodating 32 beds, in Muntinlupa with 144 beds and three nurse stations, and at a container van in Malabon with 88 beds.
Navotas will soon have a 120-bed capacity isolation center.
Currently, there’s a pending law that mandates the construction of quarantine facilities for every region. It aims to build an efficient and effective response system that will accommodate future health emergencies.
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Article and Photo originally posted by Lamudi last August 10, 2020.
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