Build, Build, Build a failure? Duterte says Drilon doesn’t know how to count

President Rodrigo Duterte has hit back at Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon's comment that the administration's flagship "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure program is a "dismal failure," saying that the opposition lawmaker "doesn't know how to count."

"Of course not! You can see for yourself. Ilang airport. You travel around, look at Luzon. Look at the stretch," the President said in an exclusive interview with GMA News' Marisol Abdurahman on Friday.

Duterte went on to decry "statements that are out of tune."

"Hindi mo pa pinagawa, sinasabi nang may corruption diyan, eh di huwag na lang," he said.

"Hindi niya tinitignan. He doesn’t really know how to count. If his statement is just a delusion, wala man tayong magawa. Libre 'yan eh. People judge best when they condemn," he added.

Drilon last week called the "Build, Build, Build" program a "dismal failure" after learning that only nine of the original 75 projects are underway halfway through Duterte's term.

“We only have two years and a half left in this administration. I don’t think any substantial progress insofar as that program is concerned will be achieve. I repeat, the execution is simply dismal,” he added.

In 2016, the Duterte administration announced that it would allot P8.2 trillion to fund the program, which would usher in a "golden age of infrastructure" in the country.

Earlier this month, however, the National Economic and Development Authority announced adjustments made to the flagship program, including the shrinking of the funding by almost half to P4.7 trillion.

Several smaller projects were also added to the list, bringing the number up to 100 after some of the big-ticket projects had to be scrapped.

Drilon called the revised list a "cosmetic" move and said that some of the projects that had been added to the list were already ongoing. "[I]sinama doon sa flagship projects para sabihin siguro at the end of this administration, they can claim na out of 100 flagship projects, so many were done, so they will get good grades," he said.

No to emergency powers

Drilon also objected to a bill filed to grant Duterte special powers to fast-track Build, Build, Build.

“You do not need emergency powers to make sure that you spend your money on time," he said. 

Duterte himself said he does not think that granting him emergency powers would speed up the projects.

"Kung mag duda kayo na mag corrupt ako, bakit mo pa ako bigyan ng pera? Especially emergency powers? You can buy anything without a bidding? Ah, that is really rich for corruption," he said. — BM, GMA News