10 Big Infrastructure Projects To Start This Year

Written by imoney

According to the Department of Finance (DOF), the construction of 10 infrastructure projects with a total cost of ₱59.76 billion are slated to commence this year. The projects included are among the 75 big-ticket infrastructure projects under the massive infrastructure program of the Duterte administration. Based on a document acquired by reporters, the largest among these projects is the Mindanao Rail Project Phase 1 of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

With a total cost of ₱35.26 billion, the project will be financed through a loan from China with counterpart funding from the General Appropriations Act.  It will involve the construction of 102 kilometers of non-electrified, single-track rail running through Digos, Davao City and Tagum in Region 11. Also in the pipeline for implementation this year are the ₱4.61 billion Binondo-Intramuros Bridge and the ₱1.37 billion Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge which are funded through Chinese grants.

The DOF said that the construction of the ₱4.37 billion Chino River Pump Irrigation Project will also begin this year. The irrigation project, which will be financed through a Chinese loan, aims to irrigate around 8,700 hectares of land, benefitting about 4,350 farmers in 21 barangays from Tuao and Piat in Cagayan, and Pinukpuk in Kalinga.

Meanwhile, the operations and maintenance of the New Bohol Airport would commence this year. The project will be implemented through a public-private partnership with a total cost of ₱2.34 billion.  Moving into the construction phase are the ₱4.86 billion Panguil Bay Bridge Project, which is funded by South Korea through a loan and the improvement of remaining sections along Pasig River, which has a total cost of ₱1 billion.

The construction of the ₱1.78 billion Clark Green City Government Center, ₱850 million Clark Commercial Center, and the ₱3.33 billion Clark Mixed-Income Housing will also start this year, and are implemented under the PPP (joint venture) scheme.

The Duterte administration is embarking on an ambitious program to address the country’s infrastructure gap, which requires up to ₱9 trillion in investments over the medium term.

[Source]