By Juzel L. Danganan
MANILA, Sept. 30 (PNA) — Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson said that there will be more surprises for Filipinos in the last two years of the Aquino administration.
“You will see more of what you’ve seen so far,” Singson said Tuesday during the Philippine Economic Briefing at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Singson said the DPWH is targeting to complete the pavement of all national roads by 2016, which stood at 88 percent as of 2014.
“We want to complete the paving of our national roads, to add somewhere at 2,800 to 3,000 kilometers for 2016,” the DPWH secretary said.
The entire national road length, which includes newly converted roads, is at 32,227 kilometers.
Singson noted that the increase for government budget up to 2016 on the thoroughfares will be huge, as they are aiming to utilize 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The other important information that people should realize is that when we started in 2011. We were using 1.9 percent of our GDP. In 2016, this will go up by 5 percent,” he said.
The DPWH said projects such as rehabilitation of paved sections, preventive maintenance, widening and construction of gap sections in 12,184 kilometers of national roads have been accomplished as of May 2014. (PNA)