PUBLIC Works Secretary Mark Villar is betting on the speedy implementation of major infrastructure projects to help put the economy back on track after being caught in the doldrums due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the “Laging Handa” public briefing on Tuesday, Villar said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is a major part of the government’s recovery plan that is already being drawn even as health authorities continue to grapple with the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“The big-ticket projects, those flagship projects that were earlier identified… those are among our priorities. But we are eyeing many more similar undertakings to jump-start our economy,” he said.
Anticipating the road ahead, Villar said DPWH officials are now drafting recommendations on the identification of health hazards in project sites and how to address each one.
These will be submitted to the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for evaluation as part of the government’s exit plan from the five-weeks old enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
“We are drawing up protocols that we can put in place on site so we can ascertain the safety of our workers. This document will be submitted to the IATF for approval. We want to hit the ground running as soon as the ECQ is lifted,” Villar said.
He recalled the death of a DPWH employee who was assigned to work at the conversion of the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City last April 19, after being infected by the coronavirus.
“We did a complete contact tracing and placed some people under quarantine for the required number of days. We tested people from the whole District Engineering Office fortunately, everyone showed up negative,” he reported.
What helped contain the infection, he noted, was the health protocol being enforced including social distancing and mandatory wearing of face masks.
Despite the reported plan to realign P30 billion from his department to the COVID-19 response fund of the national government, Villar said he is willing to work with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“If funds are needed, we will check our figures where we can make the necessary adjustments. That was just the first submission of the DBM. On our part, we will work over our timetable to pinpoint projects that are not on high priority,” he added.
The DPWH Secretary likewise announced the completion of converting 10 steel shipping containers into mobile health facilities to address the need for isolation spaces for patients who are awaiting the results of their tests.
He said each unit has its own bathroom and a sleeping quarter and is easily transported to the desired location, in this case, the open grounds in front of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive officer Vince Dizon on the other hand said 400 displaced overseas Filipino workers who have been flown back into the country have been put up at the World Trade Center in Pasay City to undergo the 14-day quarantine before being allowed to go back to their families.
He added that other quarantine facilities in Ultra Stadium in Pasig City and the Philippine Arena in Bulacan are likewise ready to host incoming OFWs who are expected to land on local soil Tuesday night or this morning.
BBB PROJECTS
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said if and when President Duterte partially opens Metro Manila under a modified community quarantine, infrastructure projects should be limited only to “Build, Build, Build” projects.
“I may agree with him but the resumption of construction projects should be limited to those listed under the Build Build Build program of the national government and not in pursuit of the legislators’ pet infra projects like flood control, waiting sheds and the like,” said Lacson, Senate accounts committee chairman.
Lacson, an anti “pork” crusader, earlier bared that some P84 billion worth of “pork funds” were inserted by members of the House of Representatives and some of his colleagues in the Senate in the 2020 national budget. Public works and transportation officials have admitted that the projects covered by the funding were not submitted to them for planning.
In a televised address Monday night, Duterte hinted on the possible partial reopening of the construction sector in the metropolis to cushion the adverse economic impact of the Luzon-wide lockdown.
Lacson said once Metro Manila partially opens, protocols on community quarantine must be strictly observed so as not to put to waste the efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“That said, physical distancing and the other protocols to prevent the spread of the virus must still be strictly observed and those violating the same should be dealt with in accordance with RA 11469 (Bayanihan Act) and other existing laws,” he said.
Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, Senate committee finance committee chairman, agreed government should slowly resume infrastructure projects nationwide, especially in rural areas, to “provide the needed employment to families.”
Angara said the government should also take advantage of the absence of traffic jams in Metro Manila and other urban centers now that people are staying home.
“Many projects can now be completed in a shorter period of time. Our economic managers should target the completion of projects in the various regions. With a lot of economic activity on hold especially with the private sector, this type of pump priming will provide needed employment and economic activity. We can already start in areas where the quarantine will be relaxed beginning May 1st,” Angara said.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, Senate labor committee chairman, it is time to reopen the construction sector to keep the economy going.
“It is unsustainable to completely shut the economy. At some point, we will have to resume some of the economic activities. Government infra projects can help in restarting a portion of the economy and providing salary for our workers,” Villanueva said. — With Raymond Africa
