NEDA: Unsolicited proposals, dev’t plans need to be aligned

THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the infrastructure of the future needs to be “smart,” “sustainable,” and aligned with development planning to a degree not seen in the unsolicited proposal process.

“We want to have a master plan so that all our infrastructure is well thought out; that they connect transport with the urban planning, with the land use, with water use, with the issue of population demographics and congestion, and also, to make sure that all (infrastructure) is planned very well and not just accepting unsolicited proposals that are totally out of the scope of our plans,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said at a briefing on Monday.

Infrastructure spending as a percentage of gross domestic product was at 5.8% last year, and has been counted on by the current government to drive the economic recovery, a policy which the next government has signaled may continue.

At the briefing, Undersecretary Roderick M. Planta added that “smart and sustainable infrastructure development requires the adoption and innovative use of smart solutions, technologies in different infrastructures, services, and urban facilities to achieve our societal goals in improving our overall quality of life.”

Such goals are to be considered when implementing the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) and in drafting the next one, he said.

“The Philippines faces various economic, environmental, and social problems due to increasing population, rapid urbanization, vulnerability to disasters, and huge infrastructure gaps that need to be addressed immediately,” he added.

NEDA has commissioned 13 sector-wide master plans in urban areas nationwide that were funded through the NEDA project development and other related studies fund, Mr. Planta said in his presentation. These will guide the preparation and implementation of sustainable infrastructure development.

In the drafting of the next PDP, Mr. Planta said further attention will be paid to transport, water resources, energy, social infrastructure, and information and communications technology infrastructure. — Diego Gabriel C. Robles