Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 13) — The policy-making National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board has given its go signal for more projects for the tourism and healthcare sectors, with investments reaching around ₱270 billion.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the Board, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., approved the public-private partnership (PPP) projects during their meeting on Friday.
During a briefing, Balisacan said the projects aimed to “address gaps” in those industries.
Some of the “high-impact programs and projects” approved by the NEDA Board include the upgrade of the Bohol-Panglao International Airport with a project cost of ₱4.5 billion.
The project targets to expand the gateway to accommodate 3.9 million passengers per year, higher than its current two million capacity.
Changes in the cost and implementation timeline of the 32.15-kilometer Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge project also secured NEDA Board’s approval.
The implementation period has been extended to December 2029, while the project cost is now up to ₱219.3 billion.
“It would have been completed by 2027 or 2028 but because of COVID, it was delayed for almost two years,” the official said.
Balisacan said the bridge would be constructed over Manila Bay. Once operational, travel time from both provinces would only take 30 to 45 minutes, he said.
For the health industry, the NEDA Board green-lit the Dialysis Center PPP Project for the Renal Center Facility of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center.
The NEDA official said it is the “largest government-funded tertiary hospital in the Cordillera Administrative Region” with a project cost of ₱392 million.
Other projects that have been approved are the Green Economy Program in the Philippines, and the changes in investment, scope, and timeline of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit.
“With these approved projects, the Marcos Administration reaffirms its commitment to aggressively advance infrastructure development to attain our medium-term development goals of more high-quality jobs and better lives for all Filipinos,” Balisacan said.
