SIX of nine flagship infrastructure projects are more than halfway completed, according to data from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

In its July status report, NEDA said 21 projects are set to be completed by 2022 at an estimated cost of P187.63 billion, while 54 other projects worth P2.23 trillion are expected to be completed after 2022.

As of July, the two projects that have been completed are the Pulangi 4 Selective Dredging Phase 3 and the improvement of remaining sections of the Pasig River from Delpan Bridge to Napindan, a part of the Pasig-Marikina River Channel improvement project.

Among the ongoing projects that are halfway done are the three projects under the Clark Green City Commercial Center which had a 65% completion rate in April. All three were funded via private-public partnerships (PPP).

The Clark International Airport expansion project, also PPP-funded, had a completion rate of 63%, according to the report.

Two other projects with 57% completion rates are the Chico River Pump Irrigation project, funded by China, loans and phase two of the government-funded Malitubog-Maridagao irrigation project in North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

The NEDA board has approved 37 projects as of July. In terms of development status, 20 projects are in the project development stage, 46 are under implementation, four projects are up for government approval while five will be reviewed for “pending concerns.”

“Of the 46 projects under implementation, 12 are currently securing budgets or are in the financing process, 16 are either in the detailed engineering design (DED) or procurement stages, and nine are undergoing construction,” according to the report.

In funding the 75 projects, 52 projects will be backed by Official Development Assistance (ODA) worth P2.01 trillion, while 14 projects worth P238 billion will be funded by the government, eight through PPP and one to be funded privately.

The report said seven NEDA board-approved projects by the Department of Transportation are up for re-valuation.

These are the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Long-haul, Manila to Bicol project, the Iloilo International Airport project, the Bacolod-Silay International Airport Project, the New Bohol Airport, the Laguindingan International Airport serving Northern Mindanao, the Davao International Airport development project and the Tagum Davao Digos Segment of the Mindanao Rail phase one project. — Beatrice M. Laforga

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