The former Las Piñas City representative underscores the need to invest in a modern infrastructure system to help boost economic development.
By Alex Y. Vergara
It’s public knowledge that even before Mark Villar became Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the former legislator already possessed a fair amount of knowledge in real estate development, master planning and construction. He also appreciates the importance of an adequate infrastructure system in directly boosting economic development, from lessening tra c and shortening people’s travel time to enabling faster ow of goods and services between various points.
To make his case, he cites a study done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2012. It concluded that the Philippines loses as much as P3.5 billion a day because of tra c congestion. at was six years ago. If not addressed, the same study warned that the amount of daily losses could triple by 2030.
“Other studies say we’re losing even more,” says Villar, one afternoon inside a makeshift o ce atop the still-to-be- nished LRT 2 Masinag Extension tracks. “ at’s why spending on infrastructure is not a cost, but an investment. e money we spend on these infrastructure projects now to reduce, say, tra c will de nitely have an economic return on the country.”
Of course, part of Villar’s knowledge stems from his lifelong exposure to the family’s real estate and construction business. But a great deal of what draws the Secretary to massive infrastructure projects— from wide expressways that traverse several towns, cities and provinces to iconic steel-and-concrete bridges that span not only rivers, but entire straits,harborsandevenbays—istheonce-in-a-lifetimeopportunity “to do something historic.”
Certain structures, he says, have become so embedded in people’s consciousness that they’ve become symbols of the places where they were built: “When you think of Egypt, you think of the pyramids; Paris, you think of the Ei el Tower; San Francisco, you think of the Golden Gate Bridge.”
ese are the types of structures future generations will remember and appreciate long after their builders are no longer around, Villar continues. On a personal note, he considers being part of these types of projects, through “Build, Build, Build,” “priceless.”
Building a series of huge infrastructure projects that are useful and lasting is what he and the rest of his collaborators, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s vision for the country, hope to accomplish in the next four years as they continue to embark on this administration’s ambitious “Build, Build, Build” initiative.
“Because a lot of these projects require coordination between agencies and departments, ‘Build, Build, Build’ is really a group e ort. It’s critical that teamwork among all these players is smooth,” he says.
Apart from building roads and bridges, the DPWH is also involved in the construction of ood-control projects all over the country. e thrust of “Build, Build, Build” is a tad di erent, as it focuses on “mega bridges and high-speed expressways,” says Villar. For a relatively vast archipelago, the Philippines only has a total of 300 km. of expressways.
“Before the end of President Duterte’s term, ‘Build, Build, Build’ aims to increase that number to 1,000 km. And that’s doable,” the Secretary assures.
Villar also likes to emphasize the “Build, Build, Build” Program’s nationwide thrust—from the Luzon Spine Expressway Network, a 1,040-km. expressway network, which would connect the northern and southernmost regions of Luzon and reduce travel time between Bicol and La Union from 19 hours and 40 minutes to eight hours and 15 minutes, to the Pangil Bay Bridge, which would connect Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental.
“Once finished in 2021, the 3.7-km. bridge would be nearly twice the length of the San Juanico Bridge, still currently the longest bridge in the Philippines,” the Secretary tells us. “Best of all, it would cut travel time between the two Mindanao provinces from 2-1/2 hours to a mere 10 minutes.”
Then there’s the planned Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge, an even more ambitious 19-km. structure that would connect not two, but three islands over land and sea with depths of not more than 50 meters. Villar and his “Build, Build, Build” collaborators have sought the expertise of Chinese and Japanese engineers for projects of this scale.
“We’re doing a number of projects with the cooperation of JICA,” he says. “Some are being done with China’s help. When it comes to subways, the Japanese have the best track record with regards to safety. China’s specialization is building long, massive bridges.”
To fund this, the current administration is allocating seven percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for infrastructure, says Villar. For decades, the Philippine government had spent a little more than two percent of GDP on infrastructure. Well, not anymore.
Villar defers to the Department of Finance with regards to any detailed information on these projects’ need for foreign funding as well as the country’s position to nance “Build, Build, Build.” But if we are to go by the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio, which is 40 percent and “getting smaller,” the Philippines is in a position of strength to fund these projects.
“Obviously, the budget for infrastructure is much bigger now than it has ever been,” Villar continues. “Budget during the last two years is probably equivalent to the budget during the last six years.” Seven percent of GDP may sound big, but compared to the amount most other countries allocate for infrastructure, it’s the standard.
But “Build, Build, Build,” he points out, isn’t something that sprung out of the blue. On the contrary, it’s a product of “careful planning over the last two years.” Early on, the Duterte administration realized that it had to “hit the ground running” if the country were to catch up with its neighbors in terms of infrastructure.
Two years in, some of these projects like the rst phase of the Laguna Lake Highway, which opened recently, are starting to mature. A toll-free link whose rst phase stretches from Taytay, Rizal to Bicutan in Taguig, the highway is envisioned to cut travel time in half between the two points.
Then there’s the Harbor Link. is allows trucks to pass through Manila’s Port Area and reach the North Luzon Expressway in less than 10 minutes.
Villar, however, allays real and imagined fears that these projects are prone to overpricing and issues on transparency as well as quality- control because their builders are running against time to nish them.
“We will never compromise on quality,” he assures. “A lot of these projects are being ground-broken only now because we went through due diligence and a full-blown feasibility study, which includes detailed engineering, before we started.”
