Duterte touts infrastructure project as PHL deals with pandemic

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday vowed that his administration will continue to work on improving the Filipinos’ quality of life amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We welcome this new infrastructure development at a time that we are gradually recovering from the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic and safely revitalizing economic activities,” Duterte said at the opening of the Bonifacio Global City to Ortigas Center Road Link Project in Taguig City.

“Let me assure you of my administration’s unrelenting commitment to pursue a more comfortable life for every Filipino through safe and reliable infrastructure that would improve mobility and productivity,” he added.

On Wednesday, a Bloomberg report on COVID-19 economic resiliency ranked the country as the worst performer among 53 biggest economies in the world.

In an article accompanying the report, Bloomberg said that the Philippines "faces a perfect storm" of the Delta variant coupled with "inadequate" testing and lockdowns that have disrupted the economy and people’s livelihoods.

The article also quotes President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesperson Harry Roque as pointing to vaccine inequity among countries as a reason for the dismal ranking.

At the road link project, Duterte cited that the new infrastructure will provide substantial and long-lasting benefits to various businesses, motorists and ordinary Filipinos.

“This project marks another milestone in the government’s Build, Build, Build program,” he said.

“With less than a year left in my term, we cannot afford to waste time and resources as we fulfill our promise to a better and more responsive public works across the country,” he added.

The President’s term ends on June 30, 2022.

Duterte, however, is not set into retirement since he has earlier announced that he is running for vice president in Eleksyon 2022.—LDF, GMA News