Duterte admin wants P500B of infra projects exempted from election ban

The Duterte administration’s economic managers are seeking to exempt around P500 billion of big-ticket infrastructure projects from the government spending ban during the campaign period for the 2019 midterm elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is banning all public works construction and the release of public funds from March 29 to May 12.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday the economic team has already identified the specific projects that the administration wants to be spared from the prohibition of construction during elections.

He did not specify the projects other than saying that these are among the 75 key infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program.

“Our budget for infra is close to P1 trillion [this year] and it is very important that we have them started during the dry months. So we can say that maybe at least half of the trillion pesos will need to get started this first quarter,” Diokno said.

As the 45-day ban on construction projects will disrupt the administration’s infrastructure initiative, the economic team will submit a memo to President Rodrigo Duterte—primarily asking Comelec to exempt several big-ticket projects from the spending ban.

“We’re confident that our request will be granted. This is for national welfare and development, so I think the Comelec will be broad-minded enough,” Diokno said.

The Cabinet official said the economic managers will submit their memo to the President during the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, February 6.

Diokno emphasized the need to exempt big-ticket projects from the spending ban, noting that the delay in passing the proposed P3.757-trillion budget this year is expected to have an impact on P50 billion of infrastructure projects in the first quarter.

Exempting large infrastructure projects is supposed to partly offset the economic impact of a re-enacted budget, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia earlier said.

Pernia estimated that a re-enacted budget would dent economic growth by 1.6 to 2.3 percentage points, in case the situation lasts throughout 2019. —VDS, GMA News