President Duterte last night expressed frustration about his ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, saying he was getting fed up about hearing about the projects but not when the people will actually be able to use them.
Duterte made the statement as he led the inauguration of the Phase 2 of the coal-fired power plant of the Sarangani Energy Corp. in Maasim, Sarangani.
In his speech, Duterte said that he was tired of hearing about the infrastructure program because the people are yet to benefit from the projects.
“Isa pa itong pu…Sabi ko sa kanila (Cabinet) hindi ko kailangan ‘yang ‘Build, Build, Build.’ Do not give me that kind of shit. I want ‘Build-Use, Build-Use, Build-Use’,” he said. “Eh, kung ‘Build, Build, Build’ lang ‘yan, walang mangyayari,” he added.
The Build, Build, Build infrastructure program, part of the DuterteNomics socioeconomic policies of Duterte, was touted to usher in the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” and aimed to reduce poverty, encourage economic growth, and reduce congestion in Metro Manila.
Sen. Franklin M. Drilon called the program a “dismal failure” because of the number of projects finished. Malacañang explained that in the government’s flagship infrastructure program, 35 are ongoing constructions; 32 projects are about to commence construction within six to eight months; 21 are in the advanced stages of government approval; and 12 in the advanced stages of feasibility studies.
“We expect 38 projects to be completed by 2022, 22 partially operational or at substantial completion, and while 40 are to be completed beyond 2022, all projects will be started within the governance of this administration,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said. (Argyll Geducos)