Palace spokesman Harry Roque on Friday proclaimed that President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration would be remembered for a successful bout against Covid-19 and infrastructure projects, including the Metro Manila Subway Project.
“Presidents will come and go, but in the annals of history, President Duterte will be remembered for the renaissance of infrastructure, for beating Covid-19 and of course, for all the social legislation that he so shepherded including the Universal Health Care and Free Tuition in State Colleges and Universities,” Roque said.
Roque made the statement during a ceremony for the arrival of the first cutter head of “Kaunlaran,” a tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to be used om the Metro Manila Subway Project.
“The arrival of this equipment is significant because it contributes further to what I have described as the renaissance of Philippine infrastructure,” Roque said.
The subway is estimated to cost around P393 billion. It is expected to fully operate in 2026.
Roque also slammed critics of Duterte’s administration: “Manigas kayong lahat!”
Duterte continues to tout a high approval rating based on a recent Pulse Asia survey despite the Philippines being ranked in a report by Lowy Institute 79th out of 98 countries in pandemic response with a 30.6 out of 100 score.
The country’s gross domestic product also plunged to a record-low -8.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020. John Ezekiel J. Hirro