MANILA — More than 70,000 infrastructure projects will be implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) this year alone, its chief said on Tuesday.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said these projects, which are both major and local programs, will run on a P890 billion budget allocation.

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"We are going also to implement roads leading to tourist destinations and roads going to production areas with the Department of Trade and Industry," Bonoan told Palace reporters in a press briefing.

"Aside from that, we are going to implement also the [Department of Education,] 'yung classroom programs nila and yung [Department of Agriculture] for their farm-to-market roads," he added.

The DPWH chief said his agency has been coordinating with the Department of Transportation regarding their commuter rail transport projects so they could help with their subways, stations, and "provide necessary access roads to their stations."

Meanwhile, Bonoan said they have implemented, maintained, constructed and improved around 1,500 kilometers of national roads and local roads nationwide from July to December last year.

DPWH also started the construction of 161 bridges and 851 flood-control projects during this period.

Some projects that are set for ground breaking soon include buildings for the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine General Hospital Pediatric and Adult Specialty Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and the Philippine Cancer Center.

"All these are going to be presented for groundbreaking with the president before the State of the Nation Address," he said.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board last week said it approved a list of 194 infrastructure projects amounting to about P9 trillion.

A total of 123 of these infrastructure flagship projects (IFP) were initiated by the Marcos administration, while the rest were continuing projects from previous administrations, NEDA said.

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