Flagship infrastructure projects

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February 9, 2026 | 12:00am

Administration after administration has been publicly ambitious about infrastructure projects. But in the end, they all fail to deliver on their big promises.

I remember Ben Diokno speaking before the Foundation for Economic Freedom during the early months of the Duterte administration. He announced Build, Build, Build. I think he coined it on the spot as he tried to convince a skeptical audience that this time, it would be different. It wasn’t.

As Budget secretary then, Diokno assured there would be no bottlenecks in fund releases. And he also promised GPS trackers to check the real-time status of the projects from the BBB website.

By the end of Duterte’s term in June 2022, only a fraction of “big-ticket” flagship projects had been completed…approximately 18 out of 119 flagship projects.

But DPWH under Mark Villar reported completing, at least on paper, a good number of smaller-scale projects between 2016 and 2022. The list includes 10,376 flood control structures and we all know better what flood control projects mean.

Under BBM, the Duterte-era Build, Build, Build became the Build Better More (BBM) program. There are 209 Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs) under BBM with a total investment of approximately P10.6 trillion.

Of the 209 IFPs currently under the BBM program, the vast majority were initiated, planned or started before the current administration took office.

The bulk (70 percent) of the 209 projects are “carry-overs” from the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program. Some even date back to the Aquino III administration’s Public Private Partnership pipeline.

Some of the carryover projects are: North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) supposedly 38.87 percent complete as of mid-2025. But it will be seriously delayed after its budget was halved to P28.8 billion in the 2026 GAA signed by BBM. Full operation was pushed back to 2032 from 2028.

The NSCR is plagued by right-of-way problems. As of late 2025, only 56 percent of the northern segment’s ROW was cleared, with full acquisition for that section not expected until mid-2026.

The funding gaps brought about by Congress moving the Philippine government counterpart funds to the unprogrammed part of the national budget are a major cause of delay. Release of our counterpart funds is necessary before JICA or ADB releases their tranches.

The Metro Manila Subway Project is now under construction. But its 2026 budget was also reduced to P20.4 billion in the GAA signed by BBM.

ROW acquisition is now at 91 percent for the subway project. DOTr aims to reach 100 percent ROW completion by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Partial operation is expected by 2028 (covering initial segments like East Valenzuela to Camp Aguinaldo). Full completion was pushed back to 2032. The original completion target was 2027.

The Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge is now supposedly under construction. It was designated a priority for completion by 2027. It is primarily funded through a multi-tranche financing scheme involving the ADB ($2.1 billion) and the China supported Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank ($1.14 billion).

The project cost is estimated at $3.91 billion, with the remainder covered by the Philippine government.

The New Manila International Airport is a PPP project proposed by San Miguel Corp. It is under construction in Bulacan. I am told completion is set for 2028.

MRT Line 7 is another San Miguel PPP project under construction that is expected to be completed by 2027.

The Kaliwa Dam Project is a China-backed project to provide a new water source for Metro Manila. It is supposedly 30 percent complete.

The tunnel boring machine is operational, moving from Teresa, Rizal toward General Nakar, Quezon. But actual dam construction depends on the relocation of approximately 46 affected families.

MWSS targets completing the dam and tunnel by December 2026 but that’s highly doubtful.

The NEDA board has approved an increased project cost of P15.3 billion. A loan from the China Eximbank covers about 85 percent of the project cost, approximately $211 million to $283 million.

The Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges project is primarily financed by South Korea through its ODA program.

The Engineering Services Loan of $56.6 million (P2.9 billion) covers the cost of the detailed engineering design and procurement assistance.

The main construction loan estimated at P189 billion will be funded by concessional loans from the Export-Import Bank of Korea.

DPWH has allocated P443.5 million as a local counterpart fund to support capital outlays and infrastructure requirements. It is targeted for completion by 2030.

New BBM Projects are projects conceptualized or significantly pivoted under the Marcos administration with a heavy focus on digital connectivity, water security and renewable energy. These are mostly private sector-led.

The portfolio covers 140 physical connectivity projects 32 water resources projects, nine agriculture projects and others including health and digital infrastructure.

The NAIA Rehabilitation project was conceived and awarded as a PPP project by the BBM administration to San Miguel Corp. to modernize the country’s main gateway.

The proposed San Mateo Railway, a 17-km line connecting Marikina, San Mateo and Rodriguez to LRT-2 is now at the project feasibility stage.

DPWH will also rehabilitate the Maharlika Highway and it is a relief that they will tap the big construction companies with reputations to protect instead of the fly-by-night operators involved in the ghost projects.

There are more projects listed as flagship infrastructure projects. But let us focus on these major ones whose early completion will greatly alleviate the suffering of the public.

Boo Chanco’s email address is [email protected]. Follow him on X @boochanco.