LEGAZPI CITY — Albayanos have expressed gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte for the speedy approval of three major transport and infrastructure projects, which are expected to propel the province and the whole of Bicol region to an unprecedented growth.
Delayed for a number of years, the three projects were approved and recommended by the National Economic Development Authority Investment Coordinating Committee for final approval and fund release by the Neda board chaired by Duterte.
PDP-Laban Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, representing the second district of Albay, said the three projects were the P170.7-billion North-South Railways Project South Line, the P4.79 billion P4.79-billion Bicol International Airport in Daraga town with a larger passenger terminal building and the P10.15-billion Inclusive Partnerships for Agricultural Competitiveness project in Albay.
Salceda, a former Albay governor and chairman of both the Bicol Regional Development Council and the Luzon Area Development Committee, initiated and pushed for the three projects under the previous Aquino administration.
They were among the first batch of major development packages under the new Duterte administration worth P300 billion now being finalized for final approval and fund release. Of the total amount, 60 percent will benefit Bicol, especially Albay, he said.
Salceda said he was informed of the projects’ current status by Economic Planning Secretary and Neda director-general Ernesto Pernia and Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
He said the Duterte administration wanted to fast track the rollout of infrastructure and development projects.
The 653-kilometer NSRP Southline, which runs from Tutuban in Manila to Legazpi and eventually to Matnog, Sorsogon was approved following several modifications, including the shift to the use of standard gauge, a newer and more internationally accepted technology.