The Build, Build, Build Program

The administration of the current president, Rodrigo Duterte, has pioneered the
implementation of the Build, Build, Build program. It is the administration’s centerpiece economic
program launched back in 2017 that was envisioned to spend at least P8.4-trillion worth of new
infrastructure projects nationwide (Punongbayan, 2021). These new infrastructure projects such as
roads, bridges, airports, and more are expected to help boost the Philippine economy as the
administration believes that the lack of infrastructure is one of the hindrances of the country’s
development. A large sum of these projects were built through the Department of Public Works
and Highways, the Department of Transportation, and some, by private companies. The program
is also expected to generate numerous job opportunities as the construction industry surges with
these massive infrastructure projects.

5 years in the making, the Build, Build, Build program still is on the works yet had missed
some of its targets. Pantheon Macroeconomics, an economic research consultancy based in the
UK, has recently reported that the Duterte administration has failed to achieve its ambitious
spending targets despite having rolled out more infrastructure projects under the BBB program
(Baclig, 2022). The setbacks of the project were largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
wherein budgets were reallocated to help cope with the current crisis and alleviate the situations
of many Filipinos who struggled at the height of the pandemic. Despite having setbacks, the
Department of Public Works and Highways reported that was able to provide a total of 1,482,119
jobs to Filipinos nationwide for the period of March 2020 to August 2021. DPWH Secretary Mark
Villar said that the program was able to provide the much-needed livelihood opportunities, more
so during this pandemic period. Though there have been unforeseen delays and stumbling blocks,
the administration still estimated that they would complete 18 big-ticket flagship infrastructure
projects worth P235.9 billion on its “Build, Build, Build” list by the time President Rodrigo Duterte
is gone in the middle of 2022 (De Vera, 2021).

The main objective for many, if not all, government projects is to caress the welfare of its
people. In the same way, the Build, Build, Build, has its targets locked on increasing economic
growth and development for the people as well. Thus, the researchers of this study would want to
gauge the effectiveness of the program and assess any cultural, historical, and political context that
may hinder the efficiency of the government in the implementation of such project. The researchers
would also want to look at the different roles that government institutions play in the pursuit of
turning the project into reality.