The chairman of the House committee on appropriations on Tuesday said Congress would ensure funding support for President Rodrigo Duterte’s massive infrastructure modernization program which is the core of the government’s new economic master plan called “Dutertenomics.”
Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, the panel chairman, made the statement as President Duterte has laid down a three-year rolling infrastructure program that would cost at least P1.13 trillion for 2018, P1.18 trillion for 2019 and P1.29 trillion for 2020.
Nograles said that his panel will work hard to ensure that the government will have enough funds to make this happen.
“To hasten national economic development, we have to build and modernize the needed infrastructures nationwide. We anticipate that the President, in his State of the Nation Address, will spell out his crucial public infra-building program that will boost the country’s economy,” Nograles said.
“The logic of Dutertenomics is simple and practical. If we modernize our infrastructure, we will modernize the economy down to the farthest municipality. And everything else will follow,” Nograles added.
Nograles refers to the so called “Dutertenomics” that focuses on building the needed infrastructures to bring balanced development nationwide, especially in long-neglected regions in Mindanao and the Visayas.
Nograles vowed to prioritize the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program as this will have cascading effects on all aspects of development such as health care, education, job and investment generation, poverty alleviation and even peace and order.
“We cannot waste time. The time to build critical infrastructures, like railways, bridges, expressways, subways, and other infrastructures is now” Nograles said, adding that a “balanced economic development will help deny the enemies of government reasons for their rebellion.”
Nograles also assured that Congress would continue its efforts to push the government’s drive for tax reform in the country, parallel with the determined anti-corruption campaign in public service.
At a recent business forum, Nograles said the country’s economic managers has stated that “Dutertenomics” will adopt a sustained economic growth strategy based on long term vision that will bring development and reduce inequality and poverty in the rural areas.
Nograles said he believes the Duterte leadership is determined to implement more than P8.4- trillion public works project over the next five years.