IF there’s one thing that President Rodrigo Duterte was proud of in his five years as the country’s chief executive, it would be his long list of infrastructure programs for which the country now enjoys improvements in the country’s transportation system, including traffic decongestion ind EDSA.
He mentioned several projects which he claimed made commuting less stressful. Among those he claimed as part of his infrastructure program include the Skyway Stage-3 Public-Private Partnership, which he hinted to have significantly reduced heavy traffic in the country’s busiest highway – the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue or EDSA.
“We have taken away the misery of public commuting. Thanks to our partnership with the private sector, we are able to open Stage 3 of the Metro Manila Skyway in January this year. This decongested EDSA and other major roads in Metro Manila,” the President was quoted as saying during his lengthy SONA.
Interestingly, the Skyway Stage 3 Project was launched in 2014, under the term of the late President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
Duterte also noted projects such as the lessened breakdowns of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, the extension of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2) and the upgrade of the Clark International Airport.
Duterte, in the same speech, apologized to residents of Davao, his bailiwick, as he claimed he told economic managers to focus on other areas first.
The President also said he told authorities not to look into the political entrails of Davao City and other provinces.
“Why is Davao last? Kasi sinabi ko sa kanila, unahin ninyo ‘yung buong Pilipinas [I told them to prioritize the rest of the Philippines] during initial years of my presidency,” he said.
“For the Davaoeños, you must understand that we cannot really. Unahin natin ‘yung… kasi taga diyan ako eh. Kung hindi ako siguro taga-Davao tapos na ‘yan, pareho ng iba kaya lang sinabi ko make Davao the last priority. Totoo ‘yan,” added the President, who was actually referring to the Davao Coastal Road Project set to be completed after Duterte’s term in 2023.