BY ANNA MAE YU LAMENTILLO
In his desire to hasten economic growth and produce more jobs, both of which are badly needed as we recover from the pandemic’s adverse effects, presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vows to continue the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program — connecting our islands through physical infrastructure, in a bid to strengthen unity among Filipinos.
He wants to restore people’s trust and confidence in government. He wants to reinvigorate Filipinos’ sense of nationhood. He wants Pinoys to feel proud whenever they say, “I am a Filipino.”
A good infrastructure network is essential to nation-building. I witnessed first-hand how the lack of roads and bridges widens the gap between rich and poor in the country, mainly because many communities have limited to no access to basic necessities and social services.
A few years back, I worked as a humanitarian worker with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. I was able to travel to all the regions of the country and I saw how the absence of road infrastructure meant lost opportunities, especially to those living in far-flung communities.
For instance, our relief operations in areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda proved to be challenging. The terrain was difficult and roads were impassable. In several towns, it took weeks before help came. At that time, I wished the Philippines had better roads, that it would be easier for anyone who wanted to send help, to reach areas that needed medicines, food and water.
Hopes fulfilled
Fast forward to “Build, Build, Build,” I was able to see the fulfillment of my hopes and even more. In the five years that I have worked under President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” program, alongside then Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, we were able to complete 29,264 kilometers of roads, 5,950 bridges, 11,340 flood-mitigation structures, 222 evacuation centers, 150,149 classrooms and 739 We Heal As One Centers with a total of 27,302 bed capacity. These provided jobs to 6.5 million Filipinos.
Because of this, I am convinced that “Build, Build, Build”should be institutionalized as a long-term socio-economic policy. It is important for the next leaders of the country to finish the ongoing infrastructure and development projects. They must also see the necessity of carrying out those in the pipeline.
We have already gone a long way. The next administration must build on these gains. This is the reason why I support UniTeam and will vote for presidential aspirant, former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and vice-presidential candidate and former Davao City Mayor “Inday” Sara Duterte.
UniTeam & “Build, Build, Build”
Marcos Jr., or BBM to his ardent supporters, and Mayor Sara have committed to continue the “Build, Build, Build” program. They have already identified major projects to prioritize, such as the 32-kilometer Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge, which is part of the Mega Bridge Project — a series of short and long-span bridges that will connect all six provinces of Western Visayas by linking Panay Island (where the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo are located) to Guimaras and Negros Occidental.
According to Marcos Jr., he wants to pursue the proposed bridge to open up the economy.
The UniTeam also plans to continue the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, which will connect Central Luzon and CALABARZON by land, without having to go through the stretch of Metro Manila.
The project involves the construct ion of a 32.15-kilometer, four-lane bridge starting from Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan, crossing Manila Bay, and terminating in Barangay Timalan in Naic, Cavite. When completed, travel time between Bataan and Cavite will be reduced from nearly five hours to only 40 minutes.
Strength in unity
These mega bridges are vital to realizing our goal of connecting our islands. Bridges improve access between towns, create opportunities for growth, and connect communities. Connecting our islands through physical infrastructure is akin to strengthening unity among Filipinos.
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In fact, Marcos Jr. emphasized the need for unity as a first step to overcome the crisis brought about by the pandemic. He further stressed that even if Filipinos have different views and beliefs, he is certain that we can all agree that we love the Philippines.
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For her part, Mayor Sara stressed that they seek to sustain the growth and development spurred by the current administration of President Duterte.
Marcos Jr. also aims to showcase the province’s natural and cultural destinations. He believes that tourism is an effective instrument for economic growth, helps generate jobs and increases income for LGUs. Should he become president, he also plans to boost tourism, which he believes is an immediate solution to post-pandemic recovery because it has a wide multiplier effect in terms of jobs.
He also promised to expand the development of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal, if elected. He wants to ensure sufficient but low-cost power supply, knowing that the country is rich in renewable energy resources that need only to be tapped properly. Ilocos Norte. for one, is a pioneer in wind power technology, as Marcos Jr. supported the construction of wind farms in the province.
Ultimately though, he primarily envisions building a united country whose people can overcome any crisis.
He has already identified his priority programs to recover from the pandemic, specifically by supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), healthcare, agriculture, tourism, energy, infrastructure, digital infrastructure and other programs that will create jobs for the Filipinos.
He wants to restore people’s trust and confidence in government. He wants to reinvigorate Filipinos’ sense of nationhood. He wants Pinoys to feel proud whenever they say, “I am a Filipino.”
Trillion-dollar economy
Marcos Jr. believes that Filipinos are the best — being kind, gracious, hardworking and resourceful people. With the right support, he says, Filipinos can be good at anything.
I could not agree more with him. I witnessed this as 6.5 million Filipino workers gave their best to finish the roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects that would provide opportunities for growth for their fellow Filipinos.
To us in the “Build, Build, Build” team, this program provided an opportunity to leave the Philippines at a much better state than before; a chance to catapult our tiger cub economy to a trillion-dollar club member.
Some might say that this is out of our reach. But at one point in our history, the Philippines was the second richest country in Asia. We were only a little behind Japan and way ahead of China. I hope to see in my lifetime the Philippines reclaim or even surpass that position.
With the continuity of “Build, Build, Build,” I believe that this could be guaranteed. And if the UniTeam receives the people’s mandate, I am confident that they can bring all Filipinos to work together towards a shared vision and goal of a prosperous Philippines.
