Government approves P279.5B infra projects

The Economy and Development Council (ED Council), chaired by President Marcos, has approved nearly P280 billion worth of education, transport and agriculture projects.

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In a statement, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) said the council approved on Jan.8 a total of P279.5 billion in infrastructure projects.

Among those approved is the P105.69-billion Public-Private Partnership (PPP) School Infrastructure Project Phase III (PSIP III), aimed at closing classroom gaps and providing better learning environments.

A flagship initiative under the Department of Education, the project will involve the delivery of 16,459 new classrooms across 1,095 existing schools in Luzon between March 2027 and March 2028 and benefit at least 800,000 learners per year.

It is expected to bring down the average class size from 50 to 39 students, as well as eliminate multiple-shift schedules.

The plan is to implement the project as a solicited PPP and a Build-Lease-and-Transfer contractual arrangement.