We need a 30-year national infrastructure program

Some years ago in Ningxia, a region in China with desert and camels, age-old imperial mausoleums, and modern-day buildings, I saw a government office with a sprawling scale model for a big part of the region.

The scale model was so huge, its size was equivalent to the size of a small swimming pool if my memory serves me right. It was essentially a masterplan for a particular geographical area.

I looked at it for a long time with wide eyed awe, fascinated with the details and the long term vision of government planners. It was a glimpse of how parts of the region would look like in the future.

The Philippines, unfortunately, does not have something like that, but we should have one. I am not looking for a giant scale model, but at least a blueprint for a long-term infrastructure plan.

CEO conversations

Last week, I listened to some of the biggest names in the country’s infrastructure industry discuss, in a webinar organized by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, some of the challenges they face and such a proposal came up.

Present in the forum were Jorge Consunji, president and CEO of D.M. Consunji Inc; Rodrigo Franco, president and CEO of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp; Roberto Jose Castillo, president and CEO of EEI Corp.; and JV Emmanuel de Dios, president and CEO of Manila Water.

A number of issues  were discussed, but my biggest takeaway came from Mr. Consunji, son of the late David “DM” Consunji, touted as the father of Philippine construction and brother of DMCI Holdings chairman Isidro “Sid” Consunji.

He said it is high time the country legislates a 30-year national infrastructure program that  would serve as a major backbone for our infrastructure plans and a guide for every administration. It would harmonize the plans, laws, and budgets of the national government and LGUs, he said.

“We only have mid-term development plans,” Consunji said, adding that this is not enough because a six-year administration may find it difficult to implement long-term infrastructure projects.

Consunji said this is what the Philippine Constructors Association Inc., a group of the country’s builders currently led by its president, engineer Wilfredo Decena, has long been pushing for.

Last August, the House Committee on Public Works and Highways approved a measure seeking to adopt a 30-year national infrastructure plan that will cover major infrastructure projects in transport, energy, water resources, information and communications technology, and social infrastructure.

According to the measure pending in Congress, the 30-year program will provide for the systematic and continuing development of essential infrastructure.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Eleandro Madrona and Romeo Momo Sr., reads in part:

“This infrastructure program shall be directed to support the achievement of the overall long-term development vision for the Philippines to be a predominantly middle-class society by the middle of the 21st century, when no one is poor and Filipinos shall live long and healthy lives in a high-trust, smart, and innovative society.”

It also calls for the establishment of a national transport network consisting of complementary roads, rail, ports, and airports that will serve medium and long-term high density traffic between key cities and municipalities, economic hubs, international gateways or along major corridors in urban centers.

The envisioned 30-year infrastructure program seeks to address challenges raised during the forum by DMCI’s Consunji, Metro Pacific’s Franco, EEI’s Castillo and Manila Water’s De Dios – such as right-of-way issues and slow processing of permits, among others.

Better Philippines

It’s good to see competitors in the infrastructure and construction industry come together to push for a better Philippines.

Infrastructure not only changes our way of living, but also creates employment and boosts economic growth.

As someone who grew up in the construction site because my late grandfather, who had a small build-and-sell business, often took me to the project areas, I am well aware of the employment potential of this industry; all the more with the mammoth companies and their big-ticket projects.

I hope our lawmakers really push for a 30-year infrastructure plan.

I also want to see more local companies, local workers, and local construction materials play bigger roles in the country’s infrastructure projects.

I also hope there will be more mass transportation projects so that the commuting public will be able to move around with less hassle and pain.

Pain in the neck

For now, with no long-term masterplan, there’s a lot of “pain in the neck,” as EEI’s Castillo said, and “it seems that nobody wants to resolve it.”

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com