GMA okays P68-B projects under 25th Yen package

President Arroyo and her Cabinet approved yesterday a total of P67.6 billion worth of projects that will be financed by the 25th Yen Loan package from Japan. The approval paves the way for the implementation of the projects which was caught up in various "bottlenecks" in the government’s bureaucracy and lack of peso counterpart funds.

The President and the Cabinet also gave the go-signal for the implementation of the P9.8 billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Expressway project that was similarly stalled by bureaucratic red tape and lack of peso counterpart funding.

The President and the Cabinet confirmed their approval of these projects, the review of which was earlier transferred by the Chief Executive from Malacañang to the Investment Coordinating Council (ICC) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao announced the approval of 15 projects at the end of the regular Cabinet meeting at Malacañang yesterday. The projects were presented to the President and the Cabinet by Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho.

Tiglao said the President was "very emphatic" and always reminded the Cabinet members the "sense of urgency" of these projects every time a Cabinet member raises specific problems such as "bottlenecks" in the bureaucracy.

"The point of all these discussions in the Cabinet is that all of these projects were being expedited by the President," Tiglao said.

"The message that she would want is all bottlenecks (are to be) cleared immediately," he stressed.

The projects approved yesterday are: Arterial Road Links Development, phase VI (P14.899 billion); "Tulay ng Pangulo" sa SZOPAD (P10.587 billion) San Roque Multi-Purpose Irrigation component (P8.634 billion); the Iloilo Flood Control (P5.657 billion); Cordillera Road Improvement Project phase II (P5.649 billion); Roll-On, Roll-Off Ferry Network for Trans-Visayas Ijnter-modal Network (P2,817 billion); Communication and Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (P7.641 billion); Cavite-Laguna project (1.988 billion); Nationwide Fishing Ports Development (P1.760 billion); LGU Urban Water and Sanitation Program phase II (P1.714 billion); Sta. Ana Regional Agri-Industrial Regional Growth (P1.457 billion); Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, phase VI (1.465 billion); Rural Roads Network Development phase IV-Mindanao Section (P1.416 billion); PAGASA Flood Control Forecasting and Warning System (P984 million); and, the Bago River Irrigation System Rehabilitation and Improvement (P958 million).

"A lot of these infrastructure projects have been delayed by bureauracy," Tiglao said.

Tiglao cited that even legal opinions from the Department of Justice (DOJ) can cause delays in these projects.

Meanwhile, Tiglao said the P9.8 billion NAIA Expressway project, although a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project had suffered delays because of such bureaucratic red tape.

The project involves the construction of a high-speed, 3.24-kilometer four-lane road access to bring passengers and cargo to and from the NAIA from Roxas Boulevard to NAIA Terminal 3 in Villamor Airbase (P4.3 billion) and Skyway to NAIA Terminal (P5.5 billion).

He said this project will be completed in time for the opening of the principal implementor of this NAIA Expressway project in line with the Arroyo administration’s thruststo improve the tourism industry of the country.