The ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program the Duterte administration has promised for the past two years may finally get underway in earnest next year, with the inclusion of 13 major projects — out of a grand total of 75 that have been proposed — in the 2019 national budget.

Until now, the administration’s sweeping infrastructure development aspirations have been the target of some criticism, not all of it unjustified. Although there has been a great deal of activity, nearly all of the largest, most visible projects now underway for example, the NLEX-SLEX connector, the new MRT-7 light rail line, and the Bulacan Bulk Water Project, among others are all projects that were initiated under the previous administration.