The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board has approved P65 billion projects, one in transportation and the other in health.
The NEDA Board on Wednesday also approved proposed amendments in the procedures on infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) to include those led by private sector.
In a statement yesterday, NEDA said the board approved the P37-billion Mindanao Transport Connectivity Improvement Project (MTCIP) and the P27.92-billion Health Systems Resilience Project (HSRP) Phase 1 of the Department of Health.
NEDA said the MTCIP is proposed to be financed by an official development assistance (ODA) loan from the World Bank (WB).
The project, submitted to the government’s Investment Coordinating Committee in July, will connect Regions 10, 11 and 12 by upgrading and ensuring the long-term maintenance of the Cagayan de Oro-Davao-General Santos Corridor. This includes road sections encompassing 277.4 kilometers (km) from Cagayan de Oro to Davao and 150.8 km from Davao to General Santos City.
MTCIP also involves the upgrade of three local roads totaling 129.86- km Link Road 1 from Sayre Highway (Patulangan) to Cawayan-Kibenton in Bukidnon; Link Road 2 from Fatima Malabog Road to Saloy-Bantol-Davao-Bukidnon Road to Panabo City; and Link Road 3 from the National Highway Junction in Poblacion Malungon to Sta. Maria Road, Davao Occidental.
“The project will enhance capacity, climate resilience, road safety, capacity building, institutional development, project management, and contingent emergency response measures,” NEDA said.
“Through the MTCIP, we anticipate significant economic growth in Mindanao’s outlying regions as improved transportation will make travel more accessible and ease the delivery of agricultural goods and services,” said Arsenio Balisacan, NEDA secretary.
The P27.92-billion HSRP Phase 1, meanwhile, aims to help the country generate savings from reduced hospitalization and reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by strengthening the local health system.
The project, also to be funded through an ODA from the World Bank, will help avert costs in disability reduction due to reduced infections through the strengthening of emergency prevention, preparedness and response.
“The HSRP is expected to result into savings due to improved productivity of healthcare workers and avert costs due to a reduction in medical errors through health sector digital transformation,” NEDA said.
The HSRP prioritizes investments in 11 regions to strengthen service delivery and health emergency initiatives, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas that currently lack access to primary care facilities.
The NEDA Board also approved initiatives submitted by the Committee on Infrastructure.
One initiative is the proposed amendments to the 2023 guidelines for the formulation, prioritization and monitoring of the government’s infrastructure flagship projects (IFP) to incorporate the selection process for including purely private projects in the IFP list.
The proposal aims to ensure private sector entities’ (PSEs) commitment to government monitoring should their projects be included in the IFP list.
“The inclusion in the IFP list is expected to encourage, incentivize, and facilitate private sector investments in critical sectors in the country. PSEs may benefit from the advantages and incentives associated with being on this list, particularly in securing clearances, permits, and licenses, leading to a quicker implementation,” said Balisacan.
The NEDA Board also approved the proposal to rationalize and target allocation of available resources to expedite improvement and expansion of water supply and sanitation services and promote leveraging of market-based financing, as well as leveraging grants/subsidies from the national government.
