Projects to boost jobs, investments

The P133-billion worth of projects recently approved by the government respond to the objectives of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016, which is to generate employment and massive investment in infrastructure to attain inclusive and sustainable growth, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said over the weekend.

“The 12 projects recently approved by the NEDA Board, which are mostly infrastructure projects, are among government’s responses to achieve the Plan’s goals of inclusive and sustainable growth through creating more employment opportunities and investing massively in infrastructure,” according to NEDA Director General Cayetano Paderanga Jr.

Paderanga, also the Socioeconomic Planning secretary, added that two approved projects promote ecological integrity to mitigate potential impacts of environmental factors.

Moreover, NEDA Deputy Director General Rolando Tungpalan also said that the projects underwent evaluation by the interagency Investment Coordination Committee (ICC).

“All these projects underwent strict evaluation, which includes economic and financial analysis, first by the ICC Technical Board [ICC-TB] followed by the ICC Cabinet Committee [CabCom]. The CabCom endorsed these projects to the NEDA Board for its approval. Once approved by the Board, the line agencies start implementing the projects according to schedule” he added.

Among the NEDA Board approved projects are composed of three irrigation, three road/bridge, two environment-related, two energy, one on information systems and one light rail project.

Irrigation projects worth P19.83 billion to be implemented by the Department of Agriculture-National Irrigation Administration are the Jalaur River Multipurpose Irrigation Project Phase 2, which involves the construction of irrigation facilities such as dams, line canals and reservoir that expected to sustain Region 5’s (Bicol Region) rice self-sufficiency; the Umayam River Irrigation Project, which is expected to create employment opportunities in Loreto, Agusan del Sur with the increase in agricultural production and cropping intensity; and the Irrigation Component Phase 2 of the Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project, which will improve the income of 36,900 farmer families in the service areas in Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac.

The road/bridge projects amounting to P4.3 billion are the Umiray Bridge Project, which involves the construction of a 358-lineal meter bridge that will cross Umiray River along the boundaries of Barangay Umiray in Dingalan, Aurora province and Barangay Umiray in General Nakar, Quezon province; the Baler-Casiguran Road Improvement Project, which involves the completion of the remaining 50.95-kilometer unpaved sections of the 116-kilometer road; and the Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project, which involves improvement of 27.75 kilometers of unpaved arterial road sections of the Samar Pacific coastal road and construction of three bridges, Simora, Jangtud and Pinaculan.

Environmental projects

Meanwhile, the two environment-related projects that intend to promote ecological integrity to mitigate the impacts of environmental factors are the Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Program worth P7.24 billion, which aims to improve livelihoods in as well as increase revenues of local governments of 83 municipalities and cities in nine provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Region 7 (Central Visayas), Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; and the Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Low-Lying Areas of Pampanga Bay Project worth P4.65billion, which aims to address the flooding problem in the low-lying municipalities in Pampanga delta.

On the other hand, to promote sustainable transport, achieve energy efficiency and address market transformation in the sector, the NEDA Board also approved the Market Transformation through Introduction of Energy Efficient Electric Tricycle (E-Trike) Project, which will reduce fuel consumption of tricycles by 2.8 percent, equivalent to 560,926 barrels of oil; and the Agus 6 Hydroelectric Power Plants (Units 1 and 2) Uprating Project, which aims to address the power supply gap in Mindanao to support large-scale industrial and power-intensive manufacturing industries in the region.

Furthermore, to improve the transport sector, the board also approved the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Infrastructure and Information System Project, which covers 300 LTO offices nationwide, involves building of an information technology network for the agency; and the Light Rail Transit Line 1 South Extension Project amounting to P11.65 billion, which involves the construction of additional eight stations with provision for two additional stations from the original Roosevelt station in Quezon City to Baclaran station in Parañaque City. –MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO REPORTER, Manila Times