A LAWMAKER has welcomed the reiterated plan by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) to go ahead on the unprecedented infrastructure buildup initiated by the past administration, saying this would generate a lot of jobs and help close the decades-old infra gap that has turned off many prospective investors.

Camarines Sur Representative LRay Villafuerte, who is president of the National Unity Party (NUP), at the same time expressed the hope that “such a plan to keep accelerating infrastructure modernization would include two delayed flagship transportation projects in Bicol that, once implemented, would give a tremendous boost to this region’s economic and tourism development.”

These two major public works of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that have unfortunately been relegated to the back burner, he said, are the expansion-cum-improvement of the Naga Airport and the rollout of the Philippine National Railways-South Long Haul Project (PNR-Bicol) even if both were considered flagship projects of previous governments.

“The President’s reprise of his commitment last year to keep going this year and onwards the unmatched infra spending of the previous government deserves our full and unequivocal support,” Villafuerte said.

“I am hoping such an excellent pursuit would include the expansion of the Naga Airport, which would enable more and bigger planes or jets to fly in and out of this gateway, and the rollout of the PNR-Bicol project, which would cut travel time by a road trip from Manila to the region from about 12 hours to just four hours,” Villafuerte stressed.

He said that the State spending on both projects would energize economic activity and create many jobs in Bicol as infrastructure investments have the highest multiplier effect on the economy.

Villafuerte issued this statement as President Marcos Jr. promised just recently to pursue the implementation of big-ticket infrastructure projects that would spell economic development and job generation.

Leading the launching of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in Valenzuela City, President Marcos Jr. said the event proved his administration’s commitment to continue the projects initiated by the former Duterte administration as he vowed to build better and more infrastructure.

“We will continue to invest and improve on our transportation systems as well as pursue more projects in the years to come so that Filipinos can gain greater access to places of work, commerce, recreation, and other vital areas,” President Marcos Jr. said. “Having an effective and efficient transportation system will have multiplier effects on employment, the economy, and our society; it will also bring comfort, convenience, and an easier life for all.”

“We owe it to the Filipino people to build major roads and critical infrastructure that will not only spur progress and social change but also promote interconnectivity, ease traffic, and reduce their travel time,” Mr. Marcos said.

At last December’s Commission on Appointments (CA) committee hearing on the designation of DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista, Villafuerte bewailed that even though the administration of the late President Aquino III had already set aside funds for the modernization of the Naga Airport, this project has yet to take off because of the failure of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to actively participate in the protracted legal battle over the expropriation of private lands to be covered by the extension of this airport’s runway.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ryan Ponce Pacpaco