NATIONAL Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Friday that the country's private construction industry had not yet fully recovered after the pandemic, with investors pointing to right-of-way issues and the high cost of electricity as the biggest reasons for holding out.

'Construction has not yet fully recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic struck with the share of private construction declining relative to public construction. We need to substantially improve the investment climate for the private sector,' Balisacan said during the Build Better More Infrastructure Forum held at New Clark City in Tarlac.