CNN PH and Inquirer.net review BBB program, zoom in on transport crisis

CHEERS TO CNN Philippines’ and Inquirer.net’s online reports which reviewed former President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ (BBB) program, and its promise to improve transportation all over the country. Dubbing it as ushering in “the golden age of infrastructure,” the government claimed ‘BBB’ would enhance mobility and connectivity nationwide with 119 flagship infrastructure projects worth PHP8 trillion. 

The two reports focused on the question, did the BBB program succeed? 

Both articles pointed to the completion of only 18 out of the 119 infrastructure projects. Both reports also cited sources who countered government claims that the BBB program was a success at any level. 

On June 26, CNN’s cover story by Bamba Galang and Gienel Barroga quoted government officials’ claims that BBB still succeeded in expanding infrastructure within six years. Roger Mercado, acting Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) boasted that “we and our work are testaments to how far we have contributed to the noble task of nation building.”

But it also featured two commuters, Francis Flora and Marie Vincent (not their real names) who travel daily from Laguna and Bulacan respectively to Metro Manila for work. Flora and Vincent readily spoke their minds, saying that their daily commute had not been eased and that it remains a struggle. The two represent the multitude of Filipinos suffering from lack of adequate public transport. 

Both described the current woes of commuters, the hours spent waiting in line for jam packed vehicles and trains and the traffic mess in urban centers like Metro Manila. Nothing much has changed, they said. 

Inquirer.net’s Kurt Dela Peña reported from another angle by providing a wider lens to look at the issue. In his June 20 report, he cited experts who called for comprehensive solutions to the transport crisis in order to address the range of problems involved. 

The Move As One Coalition  included, among other issues, the rising costs of petroleum products and the near collapse of the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) industry because of the pandemic and government mismanagement. The group of organizations called for sustainable solutions such as promoting road-based public transportation, cycling and walkways.  

BBB focused on building roads, but the real need is for an improved and extended system of public transportation to benefit the majority of Filipinos who do not own cars. Dela Peña included statistics from the University of the Philippines School of Urban Regional Planning which show how roadways built by the BBB favor only the 30% of Filipinos who own cars rather than the 70% who rely on public transportation. Interestingly, public transportation takes up only 22 % of road space. 

Transport challenges confront the new administration. Private commuters openly say they do not expect much from what they have seen so far. But the media should do better at keeping alive the issues these two reports have raised. The call for public transportation that benefits the majority of Filipinos should be raised and discussed until those in power listen. 

The need is so great and so urgent that it should not be allowed to fall out of the news agenda.