3 weeks ago
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Newly installed Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon underscored his commitment to fast-track the Marcos administration’s big-ticket infrastructure projects within the three years of the President’s remaining term.
During a press briefing in Malacañan on Friday, Feb. 21, Dizon said his first order of business is to oversee the ongoing projects and begin work on those that are already in the pipeline.
“Kailangan nating bilisan hindi lang dahil gusto nating matapos pero dahil alam natin na kapag binilisan natin iyan, mapapabilis na maibsan iyong hirap ng mga kababayan natin,” he said.
(We need to speed up not just because we want to finish, but because we know that by doing so, we can hasten the relief of our fellow citizens' hardships.)
Dizon, former head of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), noted that public infrastructures have traditionally been built in the country without any regard for quality and global frameworks.
Ending this precedent, he said, is the main goal of the administration’s Build Better More (BBM) program—to improve how public infrastructures are built, with the intent of building more.
“Ang objective natin simple lang: pabilisin, at ayusin para maging safe ang ating transport systems. Hindi pwede ang pwede na,” Dizon stressed.
(Our objective is simple: to speed up and improve our transport systems to ensure safety. "Good enough" is not good enough.)
As President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is set to conclude his term in 2028, Dizon shared that the chief executive’s goal is to alleviate the commuter experience from the problem of traffic.
Several metro areas in the Philippines have ranked among the world’s worst traffic, with Manila even bagging the top spot in the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index.
Acknowledging the fact that this issue is not solvable within three years, the transportation secretary said the big-ticket infrastructure projects would be the “ultimate solution” to the problem.
“Obviously three years is not enough, but we have to do something now,” he admitted.
Priority projects
Dizon said the ultimate priority of the administration is to accelerate the progress of the Metro Manila Subway Project, which he tagged as a “game-changer”.
The country's first underground rail system broke ground in 2019, and is expected to be fully operational by 2030.
The 36-kilometer subway will connect Valenzuela City to Pasay City, with a spur line to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
Dizon also cited the North–South Commuter Railway, which will run from New Clark City in Tarlac to Calamba, Laguna, which he expects to help decongest Metro Manila.
Aside from railways, the DOTr chief said he will focus on the development of regional airports, with the intent of pushing privatization.
Ports, meanwhile, will also be expanded amid President Marcos’ directive to expand the country’s port systems, especially in areas rich in agricultural commodities.
There will also be a renewed focus on building cruise ship terminals to attract cruise lines to dock in the Philippines.
Present issues
Dizon, who served as the presidential adviser for flagship programs and projects for the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration, said he will mostly face the same hurdles he faced before in his new role as transportation head.
He said the infrastructure projects are always bombarded with disputes related to right-of-way, leading to absurd delays.
Learning from the past, Dizon said the solution behind this will be the local government units (LGUs) and the private sector who must collaborate to effectively deal with such issues.
“We have to work together. Kailangan talaga rito is whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach. Kailangan maintindihan ng lahat ng mga partners natin na kailangan silang mag-ambag dito sa mga kailangan nating gawing proyekto,” he explained.
(What’s truly needed here is a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach. All our partners must understand that they need to contribute to the projects we need to accomplish.)
Before his appointment, Dizon served as the chief regulatory officer of Prime Infrastructure Holdings.
With this, the official said the private sector is always open to collaborating with the government, particularly through public-private partnerships.
“Our private sector partners are patriots, they believed in helping the government,” he continued.
