CEBU, Philippines — The Metro Cebu Expressway got a green light as among the 194 high-impact priority projects in the country under the current administration.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan announced this during its fourth NEDA Board meeting that listed the Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs).
Along with the approval of the projects are the amendments to the 2013 Joint Venture (JV) Guidelines that are seen to further strengthen the government’s “Build Better More” program.
“Today’s approval of the new IFP list and the amendments to the NEDA JV guidelines is a giant step toward our goal of elevating our competitiveness as we promote the Philippines as a prime investment destination in the region,” Balisacan said in a press briefing on Thursday.
The approved new list of IFPs include a total of 194 projects amounting to about P9 trillion, the bulk of which are projects in irrigation, water supply and flood management, digital connectivity, health, power and energy, agriculture and other infrastructure.
“We will connect and integrate markets to enable access to more opportunities for local industries, enhance the productivity of our young and vibrant labor force, and create safer infrastructure for future generations. Ultimately, we wish to improve the overall quality of life for all Filipinos and empower every citizen to live a matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na buhay,” Balisacan said.
The Metro Cebu Expressway is one of the new projects under its list, together with the Panay Railway Project, Mindanao Railway Project III, North Long Haul Railway, San Mateo Railway, UP-PGH Diliman Project, the NAIA or Ninoy Aquino International Airport Rehabilitation Project, and Ilocos Sur Transbasin Project.
Approximately 56.9 km long high standard arterial toll road is planned to meet Metro Cebu’s existing and future traffic demand.
The project will serve as another north-south backbone highway providing a seamless traffic flow from Naga City up to Danao City traversing along the slopes of the mountain range of Cebu Province and is expected to significantly address the traffic congestion within Metro Cebu especially its urban core and Central Business Districts.
The proposed Metro Cebu Expressway (MCE) project is a South to North bypass road along the hills of Metro Cebu and is divided into three segments. With the first segment covering 25-kilometers from Minglanilla, to Cebu City, and Mandaue-Consolacion boundary based on the Department of Public Works and Highways under the PPP projects' briefer.
“Aligned with the priorities under the 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda of the administration and the plans outlined in the Philippine Development Plan for 2023-2028, these high-impact and urgently-needed infrastructure projects aim to showcase the government’s Build-Better-More program,” Balisacan said.
The new IFPs are expected to address the constraints to business investment and expansion. With these projects, high-quality and resilient jobs are expected to be created and allow the Philippines to meet its poverty-reduction goals for the medium term.
The IFPs will be prioritized under the government’s annual budget preparation and enjoy the benefits of expedited issuance of applicable permits and licenses consistent with current legal frameworks.
Balisacan said the projects will adopt an optimal mix of financing from various development partners or Official Development Assistance (ODA), the national government or the General Appropriations and the private sector or the Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
Along with this, Balisacan also said the administration is strongly promoting the utilization of PPPs as “one of the cross-cutting strategies likewise identified in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.”
45 of the IFPs are seen to be financed through partnerships with the private sector.
“The government shall harness the financial and technical resources of the private sector, which allows the public sector to allocate its funds for greater investments in human capital development, especially to address the scarring in health and education due to the pandemic and provide targeted assistance that protects vulnerable sectors from economic shocks,” Balisacan added.
NEDA has also been designated as the lead agency that will monitor the implementation of the IFPs as part of its program monitoring function. (FREEMAN)