Experts score BBB, urge government to ensure better infrastructure program

MANILA, Philippines — Multi-sectoral groups have urged the Marcos government to learn from the lessons of the Duterte administration’s Build Build Build (BBB) program, and ensure a more consumer-friendly and transparent infrastructure program.

In a virtual roundtable organized by the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi) and consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines, experts from the academe, private sector and advocacy groups assessed the Duterte administration’s infrastructure program and put forward their recommendations for the current Marcos government.

“Infrastructure development is important for long-term growth. It provides jobs for Filipinos, ensures income security, allows for increased production and distribution, and stimulates spending that keeps the economy running strong for the long term,” said Stratbase ADR Institute president Dindo Manhit.

In his presentation, University of the Philippines professor and Stratbase trustee Epictetus Patalinghug said the challenges the previous administration faced led to the inefficient implementation of the BBB program.

The Duterte administration’s medium-term goal was to increase infrastructure spending from 5.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 to 7.3 percent in 2022. However, in 2019, the government announced the shift to a hundred less ambitious and more doable projects. From 2017 to 2021, the government spent only about P4.98 trillion or about 5.5 percent of the country’s GDP for infrastructure projects. As of Oct. 31, 2021, only eight projects worth P94.64 billion were completed and 77 projects worth P3.5 trillion were ongoing, of which,30 were still on pre-construction activities.

“There was weak strategic guidance… There was poor project appraisal. I don’t think NEDA, DOTR and DPWH have an internal capacity to do rapid appraisal. You always need World Bank money, ADB money to hire consultants. Then you have poor project selection and budgeting. As usual, completion delays and cost overruns. And very few interim and ex-post project evaluation done in our projects,” Patalinghug said.

He added the institutional problem of departments lacking absorptive capacity, however,  cannot be solved within the next six years of the Marcos administration.

“So, the best thing for Marcos is just to look at the shovel-ready projects left by the Duterte government and implement them – the Metro Manila subway, the North-South Commuter Railway. This must transect shovel-ready projects like the Calamba, Tutuban (railway), it is still lacking in bidding acceptance from DOTR for the past two years,” he said.

Patalinghug also recommended prioritizing consumer-friendly projects and streamlining the approval process of major infrastructure projects.

Infrawatch convenor Terry Ridon also called on Marcos to provide policy clarity on the issues of traffic, electricity, and digital infrastructure that have been affecting the general public.

“Because infrastructure exist at the highest level of the government, it should be the President that should define the infrastructure policy for the rest of his term,” said Ridon.

To ensure a more inclusive infrastructure program, Ridon said advocacy groups should be present from planning, construction, to implementation of the government’s infrastructure program.