THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) listed 17 infrastructure and other development projects worth P394.96 billion that will be up for review by the Cabinet-level Investment Coordination Committee (ICC).
Latest documents as of May 15 showed these projects are either locally funded or being financed by official development assistance (ODA), at different stages of approval process.
In a separate document, NEDA also identified 26 more projects worth a combined P1.387 trillion as of mid-May that are being reviewed by the NEDA’s ICC technical board.
Generally, NEDA said proposed infrastructure projects have to undergo initial assessment by its ICC technical board, followed by a review by the ICC — Cabinet Committee (CabCom). The NEDA Board, chaired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, gives the final approval.
The NEDA Board has approved 92 projects worth P3.87 trillion from July 2016 to May 2021.
Projects be reviewed by the ICC-CabCom include eight under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and three under National Irrigation Administration (NIA). There are also projects implemented by the departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Education, Social Welfare, Transportation, as well as the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC).
The biggest projects are the P175.7-billion Laguna Lakeshore Road network project and the P80.7-billion Davao City Expressway project, both funded by ODA.
The Laguna Lakeshore Road project aims to build 376-kilometer (km) primary roads along with viaducts to ease traffic for those traveling to Laguna, Rizal, Quezon and Batangas.
The planned 29.21-km four-lane expressway in Davao City also aims to reduce traffic and connect the main areas with centralized movement of passengers and cargoes to boost development in the region. The ICC-CabCom is waiting for the project to complete the instructions requested by its technical board in February.
The list also includes the P28.98-billion ODA-funded Pasig-Marikina River Basin Flood Management project, and a P25.8-billion acquisition for 40 units of weapon-ready fast response boats for the Philippine Coast Guard. — Beatrice M. Laforga