Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada has completed an astounding P1.8 billion worth of infrastructure projects in the last two years alone in his continuing effort to revive the “Old Manila” and resuscitate the capital city’s economy.
From 2015 to 2017, the Estrada Administration has built, rehabilitated, renovated, improved or painted 150 various infrastructure projects—all with a total project costs of P1,808,441,917.74, according to the Office of the City Engineer.
These projects included hospitals, health centers, public libraries, markets, courts, sports complex, multi-purpose halls, and city-hall based structures, 88.39 percent of which have already been “100 percent” completed, engineer Bamba Dino of the Designing Division reported.
Estrada said the infrastructure projects are part of his administration’s overall efforts in working towards the revival of the Old Manila, once known as Asia’s “Pearl of the Orient.”
When he assumed office in 2013, he said the City of Manila was mired in debt, peace and order was at its worst, the city hall has a bloated bureaucracy, and its hospital and medical services programs in shambles.
“Our goal for 2019: Improved local government performance, better service/governance structure,” Estrada said, citing his 2016-2019 Erap-Governance (Erap-G) Plan.
ERAP-G Plan, which serves as the Medium-Term Manila Comprehensive Development Plan 2016 to 2019, is the blueprint of the Estrada Administration’s focused and increased determination in working towards the “Rebirth of Manila.”
In her report, Dino said that in 2015, the city government has built or rehabilitated 33 hospitals and health centers, seven public libraries and markets, 23 basketball courts and sports complexes, multi-purpose halls, and 32 city-hall based and other infra projects, for a grand total of 95.
In 2016, there were 37 projects: four hospitals and health centers, seven public libraries and markets, six courts, sports complex, and multi-purpose, and 20 city-hall based and other infrastructure projects.
And in 2017, completed infrastructure projects include two hospitals and health centers, five courts, sports complexes, multi-purpose halls, and 11 city-hall based and other projects, for a grand total of 18.
For hospitals and health centers, the city government has spent a total of P495,394,010.75; public libraries and market, P138,228,980.61; courts, sports complex, and multi-purpose centers, P519,650,351.95; and city-hall based and other infrastructure projects, P655,168,574.43.
For schools, Dino said the city government has accomplished 73.42 percent of the P4,026,585,390.83 contract amount of school buildings projects for new construction or rehabilitation /repair.
A total of 92 school building projects have been completed and 26 still ongoing, while two others have yet to be started.
For road projects, 144 roads with a contract amount of P1,632,195,212.55 were completed. Of this total, 130 roads are for upgrading, concreting and drainage improvement, while 17 others are for concreting and drainage improvement.
“Some of the construction projects are still ongoing. There are projects that are still ongoing but have gone beyond the contract duration. These projects are sometimes ordered to be suspended,” Dino explained, adding that some projects encountered problems along the way.
A Notice to Proceed (NTP) from the City Engineer’s Office is needed to be issued by the city hall for these to resume construction, she said.
The work suspension will need to be approved by the Designing Division and the City Engineer’s Office, depending on the reason. The NTP issued will also be on the Designing Division and City Engineer’s Office level, Dino said.
In the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), for instance, if the city is given P10 million for a particular project but the bidders bid lower than the ABC, there would be savings for the city, she explained.
In all these projects that were bid out, she said the city government actually saved millions of pesos, which are allocated for the following years’ infrastructure projects.
