MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Friday urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ensure that infrastructure projects would benefit future generations.

"People sometimes forget..that the decision we make today, we will have to leave with to the next 80 to 100 years. So wag natin lang iisipin kung ano ang maganda ngayon, kailangan tumagal ito," Marcos said in a speech for the DPWH's 125th anniversary.

"After 10 years hindi natin gigibain, ang laki-laki ng binayad natin para diyan. It has to physically survive that kind of time period but more than that, that it is built and designed in such a way that... [it] will continue to serve its purpose for the next 80 to a hundred years," he added.

(Let's not think only of what would be good for the present, these have to last. After 10 years, we won't demolish them because we paid so much.)

Marcos said the DPWH should be known not only for building roads and bridges, but also for social projects such as hospitals and civic centers.

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The DPWH must also recognize the needs of people with disabilities, pregnant women, and the elderly. It should also incorporate elements of Filipino culture and history into infrastructure design "to foster a sense of pride and belonging amongst our community," Marcos said.

"Kaya gandahan natin, gawin nating tama at pag-isipan mabuti para hanggang sa katagalan ay nakakatulong pa sa taong bayan," the President said.

(Let's do it right and plan it thoroughly so that these can help the public for a long time.)

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan earlier this June said 194 infrastructure projects were in the pipeline of the administration's "Build Better More" program, while 68 others were underway.

These are all worth P9 trillion.

Nine projects, meanwhile, have yet to secure government approval, Balisacan said. He said "some of these" could be approved before Marcos Jr's State of the Nation Address in July.

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