In the last five years under Secretary Mark Villar's leadership, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has already created nearly six million jobs for Filipinos in the last four years.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) began its "Bigay Trabaho" online job fair last August with the goal of employing 1.6 million more people as the current administration draws to an end.
Welders, laborers, materials and civil engineers, technicians, scaffolders, foremen, equipment operators, and carpenters are just a few of the job titles available. It has already employed over a thousand people throughout the country.
With these figures, the DPWH has already completed some major infrastructure projects, owing to the laborers who work under them. This is a significant achievement for the everyday Filipino's aspiration of providing for their families while also contributing to the nation's development.
Who is Mark Villar?
On August 14, 1978, Mark Aguilar Villar was born. He is a politician and businessman from the Philippines who most recently served as Secretary of Public Works and Highways from 2016 to 2021. He is the son of Manny Villar, the former Senate president and 2010 presidential candidate, and Cynthia Villar, the current senator. He formerly held executive positions in his family's real estate firms and served as the Representative of Las Piñas in the Philippine House of Representatives. Villar, a member of the Nacionalista Party, was named to President Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet on May 17, 2016, and took office after Rafael Yabut resigned from Congress on August 1, 2016.
Mark Villar's Road & Highway Project Achievements
In the last five years 96,165 new roads were created to connect ports to tourism corridors and tourist sites. The Cogtong Road, which leads to the beaches of Bohol, and the Dapa Union Gen. Luna Road, which leads to Siargao's beaches, and Boracay's 18-kilometer ring road. In addition, 3,201 kilometers of tourism routes have been widened, repaired, and renovated.
175.92 kilometers of new highways were created to connect free ports, industrial zones, and trade corridors to boost manufacturing companies. Poro Point Highways and the Baguio-Bontoc Road in Benguet are two of them. The task is far from done; we still need 9,430 kilometers to connect our trade and industry zones completely.
A total of 1,096 kilometers of farm to market roads have been developed to promote agriculture, with another 1,044 kilometers planned in the following three years.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now implementing the "High Standard Highway Network Program," which aims to construct world-class superhighways that connect the country's three main economic hubs Manila, Cebu, and Davao to their surrounding communities. The project calls for the construction of 1,049.92 km of superhighways, with 888.26 km in Luzon, 73.75 km in Cebu, and 87.01 km in Davao. This program will cost a total of $43.93 billion.
25 superhighways are under construction in Luzon, with the majority expected to be completed by 2022. The 25 freeways are known as the "Luzon Spine Expressway Network," and when finished, Luzon will have 1,271 kilometers of first-class superhighways, up from 382 kilometers three years ago. The distance between Ilocos and Bicol will be cut in half, from 20 to nine hours.
Skyway Stage 3, which connects Buendia to NLEX (and effectively connects SLEX to NLEX) is nearing completion in Metro Manila. This month, a section of the Skyway will open in Manila, beginning at the Plaza Dilao ramp. By the first quarter of 2020, the complete 18.68-kilometer line should be operating. Vehicles traveling from Paraaque (SLEX) to Balintawak (NLEX) will no longer need to transit through EDSA or C5. The Skyway is expected to reduce EDSA traffic by 50,000 to 100,000 vehicles per day. Travel time between Buendia and Balintawak will be reduced from two hours to just 20 minutes once the project is completed.
NLEX and the Port Area are connected by the Harbor Link Road. Last March, Segment 10, a 5.65-kilometer stretch that connects Valenzuela, Malabon, and Caloocan, was opened. The total project is 21.65 kilometers long and is expected to be completed in early 2020.
A second NLEX-SLEX connecting road is currently being built. It is an eight-kilometer all-elevated four-lane freeway that connects Caloocan with Sta. Mesa. Mesa. Two interchanges are included in the proposal, located on C3 Road in Caloocan and Espaa in Manila. Construction began in April and is expected to be completed in mid-2021, if everything goes according to plan. This road will divert 35,000 traffic away from EDSA.
In four years, the DPWH was able to construct, rebuild, widen, and modernize 9,845 kilometers of roadways. This is greater than the total length of roads treated under the previous three administrations.
Mark Villar Accomplishments on Bridges
There are only 16 bridges cross the Pasig River, which is insufficient to serve the 12.8 million people that live and work on both sides of the stream. Within the following few years, the DPWH will build 12 more bridges at a total cost of P36.48 billion.
The Estrella-Pantaleon bridge in Mandaluyong, the Ortigas BGC bridge, and the Binondo Intramuros bridge are all now under construction. The Lambingan bridge in Sta. Fe is awaiting renovation after its detailed engineering design (DED) was completed.
The Guadalupe Bridge, Ana, and Manila Bridges connecting Marikina and Vista Real in Quezon City, J.P. Rizal and Lopez Jaena in Marikina, J.P. Rizal and St. Mary in Marikina, Mercury and Evangelista in Pasig, the East Bank and West Bank in Cainta, Blumentritt and Antipolo in Manila, Beata and Manolo in Manila, North and South Harbor in Manila, and Palanca and Villegas in Manila are in the pipeline and awaiting DED completion
Outside of Metro Manila, 16 bridges are being built in various stages to connect the archipelago. The 3.77-kilometer Panguil Bay Bridge, the 440-meter Guicam Bridge in Zamboanga, and three bridges totaling 0.78 kilometer in Tawi-Tawi are all under construction.
A total of 2,709 bridges are under construction, awaiting construction, enlarged, fortified, rehabilitated, or renovated around the archipelago.
In numbers 2016 - 2021
During his time as secretary, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) completed a total of 29,264 km of roads, 5,950 bridges, 11,340 flood control projects, 222 evacuation centers, 133 Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (Tikas) projects, and 150,149 schools during his tenure as secretary, generating 6.5 million jobs. These projects were also part of the Build! Build! Build! program of the Duterte administration.
The department faced controversy when Senator Panfilo Lacson sparked outrage when he pointed out 469 billion worth of DPWH infrastructure projects that had previously been allocated by the government for implementation in 2020 but were re-funded for 2021. Villar was not involved in the matter, according to Duterte, because he is already wealthy. Villar organized a task group, which resulted in the removal of 14 employees owing to corruption.
On October 6, 2021, Villar resigned as Secretary of Public Works and Highways. He filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) to run for senator in 2022 on the same day. President Duterte has endorsed his candidacy. He was named to the UniTeam Alliance senatorial ticket after receiving support from Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte.
Secretary Villar's achievements are astounding, demonstrating that a strong entrepreneurial spirit can conquer even the most difficult of fields and bureaucracy.
Written By: Jose Cyrille A. Galapate
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