In her 7^th State of the Nation Address (SONA) this afternoon (Monday, July 23), President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to highlight, among others, the progress made by her administration in the implementation of priority infrastructure facilities throughout the country.

Billed as key components of the government’s economic development, and delivery of basic services programs, these projects include road networks, airports, seaports and farm-to-market roads.

A document released over the weekend by Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo included the updates on major projects in the five Super Regions: North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, Central Philippines as the country’s Tourism Center; the Urban Beltway and Mindanao as the country’s Agribusiness Center in the South, and the IT Corridor.

In her 2006 report to the nation, the President unveiled her blueprint of the Super Regions economic plan, or Phase 3 of the Medium-Term Public Investment Program.

The economic concept of the Super Regions program underscored the need "to invest in the natural advantages and natural resources of a section of our nation so that when harnessed together, the major economic regions are larger than the sum of its parts."

"It (Super Regions) is the blueprint of the only viable future," the President stressed.

"We must invest in the vital infrastructure that is the backbone of a modern nation," she said, adding that the construction of priority infrastructure projects is possible as the government has now adequate funds for these projects.

In the Luzon Urban Beltway, the Super Regions strategy is "doing great," the President said.

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Express Road is now in its final stages: the radar approach control of the Clark Airport was installed last April, while construction of the C-5-Katipunan section for the North Luzon and South Luzon Expressways connection is now on-going.

At the South Expressway, the widening of the Alabang Viaduct up to Santo Tomas, Batangas is on-going. By March 2008, the SLEX would extend to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road.

In Central Philippines, more roads are being built and improved to enhance tourism and the movement of people and goods in Panay Island, where the world famous Boracay is located.

Among the completed projects in Central Philippines are the Jagna Port in Bohol which links the Visayas and Mindanao.

The Iloilo International Airport was opened last June while the Kalibo Airport has gone international with Asian Spirit operating flights directly from Korea.

The Bacolod Airport is nearing completion while the Guiuan Airport in Eastern Samar is scheduled to be finished in September.

The construction of the Kabankalan and Panglao airports is about to start while the proposed international airport in Daraga, Albay is now undergoing engineering study.

As pointed out by government infrastructure overseer Secretary Cerge Remonde, this year alone eight airports, with a total cost of P15.51 billion, will be completed.

Of the eight, the Casiguran (Aurora), Kalibo, New Iloilo and Ozamis Airports will be finished during the first semester, and the other four in the second semester.

Twenty-one other air terminals are programmed to be completed before the President bows out of office in 2010, while three more would be operational by 2011.

The airport projects are designed to promote the development theme of the respective Super Region: for Central Philippines, 16 airport projects are being improved or constructed as part of the intra-regional and extra-regional transport system that would make the many islands and islets of Central Philippines and their key tourist destinations more accessible.

The six airport projects in the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, and the seven in Mindanao would contribute to the improvement of the transport of agricultural products as well as provide access to key tourist destinations.

The airports in the Urban Beltway are designed to contribute to the seamless movement of services and people in the industrial and service hubs.

As for land transportation, the 21 road and bridge projects in the beltway would add to the existing 20,568 kms. of paved national roads.

Also under the infrastructure projects category are power plants and irrigation systems.

On various occasions in the past, the President pointed out that for the Philippines to be globally competitive, the government must invest both in physical and human infrastructure to attract more investments and thereby create more new jobs.

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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will spell out in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) tomorrow (July 23) how she intends to lead the country on a path of economic growth, political stability and social justice, according to Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye.

"One can be certain that among her most important goals (in the next three years) would be to ensure that more and more of our people will not just see, but more importantly experience, the tangible benefits of our growing economy," Bunye said in his weekly column, The View from the Palace which comes out tomorrow (July 23).

Describing the SONA as a "very important address," Bunye invited "one and all to tune in to your favorite TV and radio stations which will broadcast live and nationwide" the President’s report to the nation.

Bunye said the Chief Executive is confident that her objectives for the country would be attained by pouring government’s resources into major development projects which will yield high-impact dividends for the people, bolster national stability and spur rapid economic growth.

He pointed out that in her SONA, which she will read before the joint session of Congress, the President will map out her agenda for the nation.

To achieve her agenda for the country, the "President believes it is important to invest in education, invest in social safety nets, invest in vital infrastructure and invest in peace and order," Bunye said.

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Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye hailed today the warm ties between the Philippines and South Korea, saying nationals of both countries "have benefited from these new opportunities and relationships."

In his regular weekly column, The View from the Palace, Bunye said that today South Koreans form the biggest group of foreigners in the country, and have overtaken the Americans as the Philippines’ number one tourists.

He said that at one time, "President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was pleasantly surprised to see a busload of South Korean schoolchildren on their way to the Banawe Rice Terraces."

South Koreans, including Hanjin, the fourth largest shipbuilding company in the world, are also investing in the Philippines.

Bunye said that Hanjin, which employs 3,000 highly-skilled Filipino welders, is now building the biggest ocean-going cargo vessel in Zambales.

Aside from its tourist attractions, the Philippines is also gaining popularity among South Koreans as a center for English-based education. An estimated 100,000 South Koreans are studying in different private and state colleges and universities in the country.

"Filipinos have also shown a growing appreciation for Korean Culture. Korean television, particularly the popular Koreannovelas and pop music, are a hit among the young as well as the old," Bunye said.

He also lauded the launching last week of the international co-production workshop between the government’s National Broadcast Network (NBN) and Korea’s Korean Broadcasting Institute (KBI) as "timely" and "most welcome."

Bunye, who keynoted the workshop, added that the joint undertaking was "a most welcome model for increasing socio-cultural understanding among nations of the world."

The workshop was part of the international production exchange project of the KBI which also has similar projects with four other Asian countries – China, Indonesia, Mongolia and Vietnam.

"In this era of globalized mass media, where news and information, as well as ideas, are exchanged at the speed of light around the world, there is an even greater need for nations to foster socio-cultural understanding and cooperation," he said.

"It isn’t surprising at all that the cultural exchange between our countries is starting to flourish, which makes the KBI-NBN international co-production workshop even more timely," he added.

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