DPWH: Build, Build, Build program created 6.57-M jobs in 4 years

Aside from the obvious benefit of completed infrastructure, the Philippine Government’s Build, Build, Build (BBB) project has yielded several advantages in other areas, including the employment sector.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that the massive undertaking is expected to generate a total of 6.57 million jobs by the end of 2020.

From an employment of under 1 million in 2016 to over 1.2 million in 2019, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar attributed the expanding numbers to the continuous yearly increase in infrastructure budget afforded to his agency.

"We are glad to announce that in 2016, 911,034 jobs were generated and this number ballooned to 1,196,555 jobs in 2017; 1,714,905 in 2018; and 1,226,023 in 2019," Villar said.

Villar also acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to his agency’s projects this year.

"This year, although we have slowed down a little bit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 1,525,342 of jobs will be generated from the 2020 budget," added Secretary Villar.

The BBB has enjoyed the support of public, private, and semi-private entities from all over, among them the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has infused the project with over JPY 1.3 trillion (around P600 billion).

In line with the BBB program, JICA is also supporting the Philippines' many development agendas including the following projects:

• 38-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway for Malolos-Tutuban
• 25-kilometer Metro Manila Subway connecting Mindanao Avenue to FTI and Ninoy Aquino International Airport
• Seismic improvement of Lambingan Bridge in Manila and Guadalupe Bridge in Makati
• Infrastructure Modernization For Davao City (IM4Davao) initiative
• Cebu-Lapulapu-Mactan Bridge
• Capacity enhancement of mass LRT Lines 1 and 2, and the rehabilitation of MRT Line 3.

"This massive BBB program of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is aimed to not only build roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure to spur economic development but also to provide local livelihood to the Filipino people," Villar said. 

The public works secretary added that construction workers employed under the BBB program were paid based on the minimum wage rates depending on their region of employment.

Photos from DPWH

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