The House Committee on Transportation on Wednesday approved a bill creating a 30-year National Transportation Infrastructure Program.
Samar Rep. Edgar Sarmiento, the panel chairman and principal author of the measure, said his House Bill 9468 seeks to legislate the 30-year program, which shall be entitled as “The Future of Mobility in the Philippines 2045 Act.”
The lawmaker said multiple changes are being implemented on government plans for infrastructure over the years.
“Thus, it makes it more grueling to meet the goals of the long-term plans being set for the country. Major infrastructure projects are usually complex and capital-intensive which often need adequate planning and efficient implementation,” he said.
“Elections and changes in the administration of the country every so often can put a stop in the process of planning and implementing these major infrastructure projects,” he added.
At times, the lawmaker said, these vital and necessary projects are put on hold or, assuming the worst-case scenario, be ultimately canceled.
The bill aims to provide a solution to this problem by adopting a long term development program which indicates the specific projects that are needed to be implemented.
The program covers at least 30 years, from the years 2023 2052.