NEDA Board approves measures to fast track flagship infra projects

Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the Board of the National Economic and Development Authority, or NEDA, has approved several measures at its meeting Thursday meant to fast track the implementation of flagship infrastructure projects of the government.

The NEDA Board is comprised of the economic managers and other Cabinet members and chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It is the main socioeconomic development planning and policy coordinating body of the government.

Balisacan told a news briefing that the government is preparing an executive order to expedite the processing of permits and other government requirements of major infrastructure projects, and another order lowering the tariff on gypsum and anhydrite to zero from 3 percent to reduce the cost of producing plaster boards and cement.

The economic planning chief said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology were also included in the infrastructure committee of the NEDA Board to address concerns that fall within the purview of these agencies. 

The proposed executive order on flagship projects, Balisacan said, will require all government agencies, including local government units, to streamline their processes and shorten the time before projects start actual construction. “We want to encourage a whole of government approach” to expedite the completion of the flagship projects,  he said.

By removing tariffs on gypsum and anhydrite, Balisacan said the government anticipates “a decrease in production cost and an improvement in the industry’s competitiveness as we ramp up our infrastructure drive.” The Philippines imports its gypsum and anhydrite needs.

There are 71 ongoing flagship infrastructure projects collectively worth P4.11 trillion and NEDA has identified 123 such projects already in the pipeline. The Marcos administration plans to spend each year the equivalent of 5 percent of local output or the gross domestic product to improve the country’s infrastructures and accelerate economic growth.