AFP, Manila :
Desperately needed airports and trains are part of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s envisioned “golden age of infrastructure”, but graft, red tape and other perennial problems threaten the $170-billion plan.
Unprecedented influxes of money from China and Japan are key planks of the hoped-for building frenzy, which aims to rectify decades of underspending that has been one of the main anchors on the Philippine economy.
Decrepit light rail lines in the capital of Manila, which snake above ever-worsening traffic that has come to be known as “Carmageddon”, are among the most obvious symbols of the infrastructure problems.
“The city is really suffering now from lack of mobility, not only in terms of mobility, it’s really the total absence of infrastructure,” Duterte said last week as he described Manila as “decaying”.
Duterte and his aides have repeatedly said the six years of his administration will be the “golden age of infrastructure”, with a record $168 billion to be spent on 5,000 projects across the nation.
Desperately needed airports and trains are part of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s envisioned “golden age of infrastructure”, but graft, red tape and other perennial problems threaten the $170-billion plan.
Unprecedented influxes of money from China and Japan are key planks of the hoped-for building frenzy, which aims to rectify decades of underspending that has been one of the main anchors on the Philippine economy.
Decrepit light rail lines in the capital of Manila, which snake above ever-worsening traffic that has come to be known as “Carmageddon”, are among the most obvious symbols of the infrastructure problems.
“The city is really suffering now from lack of mobility, not only in terms of mobility, it’s really the total absence of infrastructure,” Duterte said last week as he described Manila as “decaying”.
Duterte and his aides have repeatedly said the six years of his administration will be the “golden age of infrastructure”, with a record $168 billion to be spent on 5,000 projects across the nation.
