BUILDING TRANSPORT INFRA IS SMART INVESTMENT - ANGARA

Senator Edgardo J. Angara urged the government to increase spending on long overdue infrastructure projects, particularly transportation networks.

"We are still lacking in critical infrastructure, particularly road networks in the countryside, highways, airports and seaports to connect our islands," he said.

According to Angara, a well-planned transportation network is essential to spurring growth throughout an archipelago like the Philippines.

"We are a fragmented geography across an area of 300,000 square kilometers. Transportation networks and systems are therefore vital to the mobility of our people and the goods and products we trade," he said.

Angara, Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said that investing in critical infrastructure will be a huge boost to tourism as well as growth of the domestic economy.

"Improving our transportation network will encourage commerce and trade between the different islands, which is severely limited now. We are still very Manila-centric in terms of trade because of the lack in transportation infrastructure," he explained.

Angara emphasized the importance of focusing on infrastructure spending during the upcoming national budget deliberations. He said this will also ensure food security, and help stabilize prices, by promoting a better distribution system for both fresh and processed goods from the provinces.

"We must avoid the same mistake of underspending on such vital initiatives. Being overly cautious will stifle our economic growth. We must build on the momentum of robust first quarter growth through aggressive but smart spending," he stressed.