Construction

A Commission on Audit (COA) report released this week showed that delays in the completion of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council’s (HUDCC) survey projects have deprived the intended housing beneficiaries of these projects’ benefits. 

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a resolution urging the government to begin making an assessment report on the damage suffered by Marawi City and its residents as a result of the conflict and start preparing a recovery plan to help residents bounce back as soon as it ends. 

The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center reported that all infrastructure projects awarded to private partners are in various stages of construction. 

The Department of Trade and Industry-Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (DTI-CIAP) thru its human resource development arm; the Construction Manpower Development Foundation (CMDF) will be launching the Enhanced Construction Managers’ Training and Certification Program (ECOMTCP) within 2017 to lead infrastructure developments in the Philippines with capable project managers. 

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is embarking on a multi-million infrastructure project that will increase mobility within the Cagayan area. 

The Duterte administration’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) while considered as a tool for overhauling the country’s “outdated” tax system, is also crucial as funding component of the Duterte administration’s bold “Build, Build, Build” program, which will usher in the “Golden Age of Infrastructure,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said. 

The development of Mindanao’s economy and infrastructure could prove to be the government’s most effective weapons against terrorism and extremism, as bringing jobs and economic opportunities to Mindanao can aid efforts to thwart attempts to radicalize youth in the region. 

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) is willing to allocate for the Philippines USD1 billion in concessional loans over a six-year period that may form part of the KEXIM pipeline in the current medium term (2017-2022). 

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has signed a credit agreement with Maynilad Water Services Inc. for a non-revenue water improvement program in the National Capital Region (NCR). 

The government should first address the bottlenecks in the implementation of infrastructure projects thru Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to fully take advantage of the benefits of tapping the private sector’s efficiency and innovativeness.