Philippines: Duterte stresses on USD 158 bn infrastructure program for generating jobs

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he would like to focus on the reforms that would accelerate infrastructure and the developments of industries.

Duterte takes full responsibility for consequences of martial law in Philippines
Rodrigo Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is pushing for the implementation of the USD 158 billion-worth infrastructure program to generate 2 million jobs a year.

This was the statement released by the economic management team of the president, who wants to see the significant reduction of unemployed Filipinos in the country.

The Philippine media reported that the number of unemployed Filipinos have reached 10 million in June 2017 according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS), a poll company based in the Philippines.

Duterte announced that he would like to focus on the reforms that would accelerate infrastructure and the developments of industries, which in-turn will yield robust growth in the countryside, create jobs to uplift the lives of every Filipino.

Envisioning reducing poverty from 21.6% in 2015 to 13% in 2022, the Philippine government will embark on a program called Build Build Build. The programme is expected to prioritize high impact programs to hasten the productive capacity of the economy and strengthen the investment climate to facilitate sustained inclusive economic growth.

Prior to his winning the presidency, Duterte was challenged by his critics to unveil his economic agenda for the country aside from his campaign to end illegal drugs in the country.

Duterte countered that he is focused on ending drug abuse in the country because the nuisance is intertwined with the economy. He argued that drugs will destroy the future of the country if it is not eradicated as fast as possible.

READ MORE