‘No downsizing in BBB; any country more than welcome to assist, without strings attached’

This is in reference to your editorial “Downsized promise” (11/6/19).

First and foremost, we wish to unequivocally state that the “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program was never just a fleeting political sound bite of this administration — as your editorial seems to imply — but is the boldest and most ambitious infrastructure program for the future in order to sustain, and even accelerate, the country’s economic growth and, more importantly, make our people’s daily lives more comfortable. This program was brought about by the urgent and dramatic need to build up our country’s infrastructure due to decades of neglect and underinvestment of past administrations. As it stands, the country is at least 20 years behind and, as a result, the life of most Filipinos on a daily basis, especially in our urban centers, has become almost unbearable.

Yet, in the face of this glaring and real problem, your editorial even attempts to trivialize the program by framing it as a capitulation to China. This completely false and narrow-minded view clearly demonstrates your failure or refusal to see that BBB is primarily for the Filipino people. And any country — whether Japan, South Korea, China or the United States — is more than welcome to assist and participate for as long as the benefits will redound to our people, and without any strings attached.

Secondly, BBB was never just about the Duterte administration. Following the President’s aversion to anything that smacks of self-promotion, we have never claimed these projects to be his nor that all the projects under the program would be completed during the President’s term. The sheer scale of the program makes this impossible, a fact that should be obvious to anyone.

What we have committed, and this has been on record from Day One, is to start all of them, complete as many as we can and significantly progress on most of them in order to build momentum into the years after his term ends in 2022.

Continuity is what is most important to the President, especially at this stage in his term. BBB is all about building momentum into the future so that whoever takes over will find it very difficult to discontinue these projects and will, hopefully, put the welfare of the Filipino above any political consideration.

Last Wednesday, the National Economic and Development Authority approved the revised list of 100 infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs), which is more reflective of our most urgent needs and also comprises projects that we can start immediately. A significant number of these projects — more than half — will be completed, while some will be partially operational, by 2022.

That said, we strongly disagree with your assertion that there has been a downsizing in the Duterte administration’s promise of ushering in a “golden age in infrastructure.” Please note that the estimated cost for the 100 projects, which cover five categories — transport and mobility, power, water, information and communications technology, and urban development and renewal — is P4.2 trillion, more than double the P2.4 trillion of the previous 75 IFPs. More importantly, this only forms part of the P8-trillion budget for the whole BBB program composed of thousands of projects.

So clearly, there has been no reduction, rather we were simply rationalizing and prioritizing a portion of the whole.

Finally, of the total 100 projects, 26 will be implemented through public-private partnerships (PPPs). Unlike in previous administrations where contracts were riddled with provisions that exposed future administrations to potentially huge liabilities and exorbitant user fees, the Duterte administration will ensure that PPPs promote public interest and shall be for the people.

Building strong momentum and ensuring continuity are the keys to the success of BBB. The boldness of this type of long-view thinking is what separates the Duterte administration from previous ones, which focused more on politics instead of the much-needed infrastructure buildup that our people so desperately need.

VIVENCIO B. DIZON
Presidential Adviser on Flagship Programs and Projects