The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it won’t adjust its deadlines for big ticket projects under the Build, Build, Build program even as the country endures the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a briefing on Friday, DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said, “All the major DPWH projects are continuous and you can expect the deadlines will not change.”
The COVID-19 crisis put a halt to most economic activity after President Rodrigo R. Duterte first imposed a Luzon-wide lockdown back in March 17. Metro Manila was placed under a strict lockdown called enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for over two months before it transitioned to a less stringent “modified enhanced community quarantine” (MECQ) in mid-May.
Public and private construction were only allowed to resume under MECQ and in areas under the next two more relaxed quarantine levels: general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ.
Mr. Villar said the delay caused by the ECQ wasn’t long, adding “Sa tingin ko sa mga Build, Build, Build projects, makakahabol kami sa deadline (I think with the Build, Build, Build projects, we can catch up with the deadline).”
Mr. Villar had earlier expressed his optimism that the COVID-19 crisis would not hinder ongoing infrastructure works, adding that even with last year’s delay in the passage of the 2019 National Budget they were able to accomplish projects on time.
The government laid out rules for resuming construction work amid COVID-19 concerns such as strict observation of, and compliance with, minimum health standards on the work site, and regular monitoring of the workers’ health. — Gillian M. Cortez
