The Build! Build! Build! Infrastructure Program (BBB) was the infrastructure program of the administration of Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th president of the Philippines. A key component of his socioeconomic policy, the program aimed to reduce poverty, encourage economic growth and reduce congestion in Metro Manila, and address the country's infrastructure gap.[1][2] Launched on April 18, 2017,[3] the program also included the continuation of 44 infrastructure projects under previous administrations.[4][5]
The Build! Build! Build! program was superseded by the Build Better More (BBM) infrastructure program of the administration of Duterte's successor, Bongbong Marcos;[6] government officials have described the new program as an expansion of the BBB program.
In November 2019, the government revised its list of flagship infrastructure projects under the program, expanding it to 100.[7][8] It was revised again in August 2020, bringing the total number of projects to 104, expanding its scope included health, information and communications technology, as well as water infrastructure projects to support the country's economic growth and recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of September 11, 2020, 24 projects were still in the approval & planning stages, while 80 were under implementation.[9]
As of July 2021, 214 airport projects, 451 commercial social and tourism port projects, 29,264 kilometers (18,184 mi) of roads, 5,950 bridges, 11,340 flood control projects, 11,340 evacuation centers, and 150,149 classrooms had been completed under the infrastructure program.[78][79] The numbers cited include newly-built infrastructure, and projects involving the repair, rehabilitation, widening, and expansion of existing infrastructure.[80]
By April 28, 2022, two months before Duterte left office, 12 out of 119 infrastructure flagship projects (IFP) under the Build Build Build program have been completed.[81] Government officials emphasized that despite the low completion rate of IFPs, the Duterte administration had consistently spent more on infrastructure than past administrations.[81] The remaining projects will be passed on to future administrations for completion and consideration.[81]
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, citing a study from Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote that "the Duterte administration had failed to achieve its ambitious spending targets despite having rolled out more infrastructure projects under the BBB program", citing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected infrastructure spending in 2020 as large portions of the budget had been reallocated to COVID-19 response efforts.[82]
Build Build Build, the administration's comprehensive infrastructure development program, was launched during the Dutertenomics Forum held last April 18 at The Conrad Hotel, Pasay City.
A separate list on the Official Gazette also tallies projects that were approved during the Aquino administration that were meant to alleviate traffic congestion and that were expected to be completed by the succeeding Duterte administration. ... Certain Aquino-era projects, such as the MRT-7 line, the Bicol International Airport, and NLEX Harbor Link Segments were also repurposed by the Duterte administration and are now listed among the high-impact priority projects under the "Build, Build, Build" program.