Last Thursday, July 29, 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte formally opened the P1.46billion peso Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge that will connect two major cities of the National Capital Region: Mandaluyong and Makati. This bride is part of the Duterte Administration's infrastructure project Build, Build, Build.

Last Thursday, July 29, 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte formally opened the P1.46billion peso Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge that will connect two major cities of the National Capital Region: Mandaluyong and Makati. This bride is part of the Duterte Administration's infrastructure project Build, Build, Build.

This bridge was funded by a grant of the People's Republic of China together with the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge which is expected to be finished by December 2021. It is expected that this new bridge will allow vehicles to travel between the two cities in just five minutes. This is addition to the improved mobility, connectivity, and enhance resilience against natural disasters. Sec. Villar said that the bridge is said to accommodate about 50,000 vehicles daily which is one of the solutions that the administration is looking at as an answer to the issue of traffic congestion.

Despite the slow construction and implementation brought about by the pandemic, the DPWH UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 Team headed by Project Director Benjamin Bautista, former Project Director Virgilio Castillo and Project Manager Melchor Kabiling and with the contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation have worked double time. This new four (4)-lane bridge with added aesthetic value of V-shaped piers is made of pre-stressed concrete rigid frame with corrugated steel webs, replacing the temporary two-lane box truss bridge dismantled in 2019. Compared to the old bridge made of temporary modular steel components, the new bridge has two (2) lanes on each direction and with wider sidewalk component.

Together with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xillian, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark A. Villar, Senator Christopher Bong Go, and Secretary Salvador Medialdea, the president inaugurated the said the bridge. Present in the event were also Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos, DPWH Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, and Mandaluyong City Mayor Carmelita Abalos.

Higher fisheries yield in and lower poverty incidence among frontline provinces facing the West Philippine Sea (WPS) or the South China Sea (SCS) defy the portrayal of state abandonment of the Filipino fisherfolk. New opportunities in aquaculture and marine ecotourism also hold promise. Growth in other sectors, such as manufacturing and services are also providing high-paying alternatives from this humble livelihood. All these suggest that the lot of common fisherfolk in the country's western seaboard is improving, although much remains to be done.

Higher fisheries yield in and lower poverty incidence among frontline provinces facing the West Philippine Sea (WPS) or the South China Sea (SCS) defy the portrayal of state abandonment of the Filipino fisherfolk. New opportunities in aquaculture and marine ecotourism also hold promise. Growth in other sectors, such as manufacturing and services are also providing high-paying alternatives from this humble livelihood. All these suggest that the lot of common fisherfolk in the country's western seaboard is improving, although much remains to be done.

Tourism experts and tourism company leaders all believe that their industry is one of the most essential factors that will revitalize the economy of not just the Philippines, but of the whole world. Joined by IATA country manager Samuel David, DOT NCR Regional Director Woodrow Maquiling Jr., DOT Region 7 and 12 Regional Director Shalimar Hofer Tamano, Air Asia CEO Ricardo Isla, Dutch Royal Airlines Account Manager Maria Oliza Boniol, and Conrad Manila General Manager Linda Pecoraro, the ECCP held its Tourism Reboot Forum 2 on Reshaping the Tourism Industry.

Tourism experts and tourism company leaders all believe that their industry is one of the most essential factors that will revitalize the economy of not just the Philippines, but of the whole world. Joined by IATA country manager Samuel David, DOT NCR Regional Director Woodrow Maquiling Jr., DOT Region 7 and 12 Regional Director Shalimar Hofer Tamano, Air Asia CEO Ricardo Isla, Dutch Royal Airlines Account Manager Maria Oliza Boniol, and Conrad Manila General Manager Linda Pecoraro, the ECCP held its Tourism Reboot Forum 2 on Reshaping the Tourism Industry.

Director George of Integrated Development Studies Institute, Dr. Rommel Banlaoi of Department of International Studies, Miriam College, and Prof. Anna Malindog of Phil-BRICS, all nodded in favor of the Duterte Administration's Independent Foreign Policy for the country.

Director George of Integrated Development Studies Institute, Dr. Rommel Banlaoi of Department of International Studies, Miriam College, and Prof. Anna Malindog of Phil-BRICS, all nodded in favor of the Duterte Administration's Independent Foreign Policy for the country.

Noise aside, the Philippines, under President Rodrigo Duterte’s independent foreign policy, has not only succeeded in defusing tensions and managing disputes in the South China Sea-West Philippine Sea, but, more importantly, has expanded cooperation with China to the benefit of Filipinos. At the same time, the government presided over the biggest infusion in Philippine military capability buildup since the passage of the 1995 AFP modernization law. The Duterte administration’s investment in defense and diplomacy bolstered the country’s position in the flashpoint without needlessly estranging ties with other claimants, including China.

Noise aside, the Philippines, under President Rodrigo Duterte’s independent foreign policy, has not only succeeded in defusing tensions and managing disputes in the South China Sea-West Philippine Sea, but, more importantly, has expanded cooperation with China to the benefit of Filipinos. At the same time, the government presided over the biggest infusion in Philippine military capability buildup since the passage of the 1995 AFP modernization law. The Duterte administration’s investment in defense and diplomacy bolstered the country’s position in the flashpoint without needlessly estranging ties with other claimants, including China.

"Yung mga kritiko ay tumitingin lang sa isang parte, [...] nalilimutan nilang maraming-marami nagawa si President Duterte na hindi nagawa ng iba," said IDSI Director George Sy in discussing the Duterte Administration's achievements in the last 5 years.

"Yung mga kritiko ay tumitingin lang sa isang parte, [...] nalilimutan nilang maraming-marami nagawa si President Duterte na hindi nagawa ng iba," said IDSI Director George Sy in discussing the Duterte Administration's achievements in the last 5 years.