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Ongoing and pipeline rail, aviation and road projects top the Department of Transportation’s priority works for completion
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Six ongoing major railway works to be completed between 2025 and 2029 are topmost on the list
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Lined up for implementation within the next six years are the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan and Sangley Airport in Cavite, as well as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport modernization
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Also in the pipeline are the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Davao Modernized BRT
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At least 80,000 jobs will be generated from these transportation infrastructure projects
The completion of ongoing rail, airport and road projects is on top of Department of Transportation (DOTr) priorities, with the agency saying these undertakings are expected to generate at least 80,000 direct employment for Filipinos.
Topmost on the list are six major rail projects for completion between 2025 and 2029, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said during the recent Philippine Economic Briefing in Singapore.
In the aviation sector, Bautista said DOTr “will try to implement within the next six years” three major airport projects, namely the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan, Sangley Airport in Cavite, and the modernization of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The NMIA, an unsolicited project by San Miguel Corp., has already started groundwork for the P740-billion airport that will be able to accommodate 100 million passengers annually.
Earlier, Bautista said DOTr is looking to private sector participation in rehabilitating NAIA.
The SPIA Development Consortium, meanwhile, is set to bag the contract for the development of the Sangley Point International Airport after no firm challenged its unsolicited proposal.
Also parts of DOTr’s plan to improve the country’s transportation system are the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Davao Modernized BRT.
All these projects are expected to generate at least 80,000 jobs, Bautista said.
“All these projects will provide employment. For the rail sector, we are looking at 60,000 direct employment. For the other sectors, aviation and road, we are looking to at least 10,000-20,000 direct employment,” he said.
Aside from employment, Bautista said the ongoing transportation infrastructure projects will contribute to the country’s economic growth, shorten travel times, and reduce the cost of cargoes.
“We expect that all these projects will really contribute to economic development, improve economic resilience, and contribute to growth in the economy,” Bautista said.
In a separate statement, the Department of Budget and Management said that under the proposed National Expenditure Program for next year, it has increased DOTr’s budget by 120.4% to P167.1 billion in 2023, from P75.8 billion this year.
