Palace says it’s baseless to claim ‘Build, Build, Build’ a ‘dismal failure’

Malacañang on Tuesday denied the claim of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon that the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program is a “dismal failure.”

Only nine of the 75 flagship programs have started construction, the senator noted, saying the program will achieve no “substantial progress” in the remaining two-and-a-half years of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.

“It’s baseless,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said at a news conference.

Panelo said the projects such as the MRT3 rehabilitation, Metro Manila subway, Subic-Clark railway, and Mindanao railway are at various stages of development.

The Department of Public Works and Highways reported 9,845 kilometers of road, 2,709 bridges, 4,536 flood control projects, 82 evacuation centers and 71,803 classrooms have so far been completed.

“We have so many projects,” the Palace official noted.

“Not a single infrastructure” was built during the administration of Benigno Aquino III, who is an ally and partymate of Drilon.

Three public-private partnership projects were completed during Aquino’s term in 2010 to 2016, including the PPP for School Infrastructure Phase I, Daang Hari-SLEX Link Road, and Automatic Fare Collection System

In August, Duterte said he wants the major government projects under the Build, Build, Build program finished before his term ends in June 2022.

The Duterte administration has revised the list of infrastructure projects to be completed within its term or until 2022, shelving three bridge projects which were deemed unfeasible due to financial and technical constraints.

With the list of projects revised, the National Economic and Development Authority said the administration’s infrastructure spending was trimmed to P4.7 trillion until 2022, or lower by P3.5 trillion than the original P8.2 trillion on program. —VDS, GMA News