MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. proudly laid down the fruits of his administration’s aggressive efforts in infrastructure developments well into his midterm which he described to be “sustained, strategic, and on schedule.”
On his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday, the President said over 12,000 kilometers worth of roads and 367 bridges have been built and upgraded across the country.
“Of note, we have provided the budget to upgrade three hundred sixty-seven bridges and almost one thousand six hundred kilometers of road along our country’s longest thoroughfare — the Maharlika Highway — from Luzon down to Mindanao,” he said.
Marcos also highlighted the inauguration of significant segments of expressways which are part of the Luzon Spine Expressway Network interconnecting Central, Northern and Southern Luzon to Metro Manila. These include CLLEx (Central Luzon Link Expressway, NLEX-SLEX (North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway) Connector and the Plaridel Bypass are all expected to be fully completed by the end of this year.
CALAX (Cavite-Laguna Expressway) and the C5 South Link will be fully operational by next year.
Bridges
Under the Inter-island Linkage Bridge Program, Marcos said two major bridges are expected to open to motorists this year.
- Panguil (Pang-gil) Bay Bridge (Northern Mindanao) – touted as the longest water-spanning bridge in Northern Mindanao connecting Lanao del Norte to Misamis.
- Guicam (Gi-cam) Bridge (Zamboanga Sibugay) – will connect Olutanga (O-lu-tang-ga) Island to the mainland of Mindanao.
Meanwhile, the Metro Manila Subway Project has already logged significant accomplishments in its tunneling works, Marcos said.
“Sa puntong ito, katumbas na ng tatlo hanggang anim na palapag ang lalim ng nahukay, at tuloy-tuloy na umuusad sa susunod na istasyon,” he said.
Railways
Railways too are on full swing, Marcos said.
“MRT-7 and the North-South Commuter Railway, are likewise progressing.”
LRT1, as part of the LRT 1 Cavite Extension project, will have additional routes from Baclaran to Sucat and eventually to Bacoor expected to be open to the public within the year.
Moreover, 76 new train carriages were said to have been added to LRT1.
Airports
The administration is also eyeing at improving the facilities and services of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“Soon, it will be capable of accommodating 48 flights per hour,” he said.
Moreover, Marcos also claimed that more than seventy airport and seaport development projects across the country have been completed, and another three hundred fifty ongoing projects are set to be completed by 2028.
