MANILA -- The National Economic and Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board, chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., approved on Tuesday 23 new Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs) under the Build-Better-More Program, including the 45-kilometer Davao City Bypass Construction Project.
“We’ve approved 23 new IFPs, including the Davao City Bypass Construction, as part of our P9.14 trillion Build Better More Program! This brings our total IFPs to185,” President Marcos said in a social media posting following the 14th NEDA Board meeting in Malacañang.
The bypass construction project is expected to improve traffic logistics within Davao City and contribute to the economic and sound urban development in the region. The NEDA Board approved the request for the extension of its implementation period and loan validity as well as change in cost and supplemental loan.
Once completed, the 45.5-kilometer, four-lane Davao City Bypass Construction Project, travel time between Barangay Sirawan in Toril District, Davao City and Barangay J.P. Laurel in Panabo City will be reduced from one hour and 44 minutes to 49 minutes.
This will also benefit 15,781 daily travelers each day.
The inclusion of 23 new projects and deletion of 36 projects resulted in the decrease of IFPs from 198 to 185, majority of which are geared towards improving physical connectivity.
The 23 new projects were added in the IFP list as it complied with the criteria such as being consistent with and contributes to national development objectives and priorities; included in the Public Investment Program (PIP) and Three-Year Rolling Infrastructure Program (TRIP) through the PIP Online System; and with TPC of at least PhP2.5 billion.
Other projects, on the other hand, were delisted from the IFP list for the following reasons: having total project cost below PhP2.5 billion; not being a top priority in the implementing agency’s budget proposal; not endorsed in the PIP and TRIP; no substantial progress in its implementation in 2023; considered as regular programs of the implementing agency; and funded by purely private business undertakings.
With the changes, the indicative total cost increased from PhP8,776.04 billion to PhP9,143.16 billion.
Of the total cost, 81 are financed through the Official Development Assistance (ODA), 51 through the General Appropriations Act, 45 through public-private partnerships (PPPs), seven through hybrid financing modalities, and one project that is yet to be determined.
“The IFPs are game changing transformative and urgently needed infrastructure projects of national significance that aim to showcase the overall Build-Better-More Program of the administration,” said Socioeconomic Planning Undersecretary Joseph Capuno. (PND)
