Tugade appeals to public: Inconvenience goes with development

By Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo, Reporter
DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade appealed to the public for patience while the government is completing its infrastructure projects.
The transportation chief spoke on Friday at a “pre-SONA forum” by the Duterte Cabinet’s economic development and infrastructure clusters.
“Kami ho humihingi ng tulong sa inyo. Kung kami nagbubuklod-buklod, may kailangan po kaming tulong sa inyo pagka’t alam ninyo at batid ninyo na mahirap ang aming responsibilidad. Ano ho yung tulong na hinihingi namin? Una ho, kung kami magdedevelop at gagawa ng imprastraktura kailangan namin ang inyong pasensya. Pagka’t ang isang nangyayaring kung may development merong hong inconvenience (We are asking for your help. If we are helping one another, we need your help because you know that our responsibility is difficult. What is the help we are asking? First, if we are developing and constructing infrastructure, we need your patience. Because what happens when there is development is, there is inconvenience),” Mr. Tugade said.
“Sana ho huwag ninyo kami alipustahin kung merong inconvenience na nangyayari, kung may ginagawa kaming development. Yun ho ang ambag ninyo, yung pasensya. (We hope you don’t insult us if there is inconvenience that will occur, when we are implementing development. That’s your contribution, your patience),” he added.
The forum is aimed at updating the public on developments in the economic policies and infrastructure projects of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration.
The administration’s Build Build Build program has 75 flagship projects and is projected to cost P8-9 trillion between 2017 to 2022.
Among the projects under the program are the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-7 project, the Taguig Integrated Terminal Exchange (ITX), the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), Central Luzon Link Expressway 1, Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link, Metro Cebu Expressway.
The government said 1.1 million jobs will be created annually in the medium term, in the course of the infrastructure program.