Night Owl

In this light, the Duterte Administration allotted the highest budget allocation for infrastructure in Philippine history. This is intended to propel the country towards becoming an advanced economy. We have been inspired by a clear vision of Filipinos living comfortably through the gains brought about by Build, Build, Build, Every kilometer of road, rail and bridge built has been bringing Filipinos of different ethnicities, languages and religions closer to each other. Through this book Night Owl, author and columnist Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo provides an insider's view on the administration's Build Build Build program and how it rallied to connect 81 provinces, 146 cities and 1,489 municipalities. Together, we have built a total of 29,264 km of roads, 5,950 bridges, 11,340 flood control projects, 222 evacuation centers, 89 Tatag ng imprastraktura Para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (TIKAS) projects, 150,149 classrooms, and 653 COVID-19 facilities, ​ Build, Build, Build has allowed us to aspire for a better future for this generation and the next. Behind the goal to connect every province in the Philippines is our desire to alleviate the decades-long suffering of Filipinos who yearn for an improved and expanded infrastructure. ​My hope is that the last five years would truly be remembered as the Philippines’ Golden Age of Infrastructure and that the pandemic that started last year, rather than overshadowing this feat, will highlight even more the grandeur of this accomplishment. | am thankful to the author for her emphasis all throughout this book that Build Build Build is a movement, not just of its leaders but of the 6.5 million Filipinos who worked together to catapult the Philippines towards becoming a first world country. That is exactly how the Duterte Administration wants it to be remembered.

Infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy. We cannot deny that Philippines' ability to realize its full potential lies on its current and future infrastructure — one that will stand the test of time and withstand forthcoming economic, social, and environmental changes. Movement of people, goods, and services needs to be supported by reliable infrastructure that will enable efficiency between supply chains and markets, students and schools, employment and communities. In the past five years, Build, Build, Build provided jobs to over 6 milion workers whose labor and skill paved the way to the completion of 29,264 km of roads, 5,950 bridges, 214 airport projects, and 451 seaport projects. What started as a vision is now a movement crucial in nation building. Every hour spent by Filipino workers has led to roads and bridges that has paved the way for mothers and fathers to come home earlier to their children, for farmers and fishers to get better access to markets and for students to reach their schools more safely. As a country often struck by natural disasters, Filipinos rely on infrastructure networks for its defense. Outdated infrastructure has made us vulnerable to tsunamis, storm surges and flooding. We have to rebuild the systems on which our society thrives upon — update our piping system which are long overdue for expansion and complete the missing link that would bring Fllipinos of different backgrounds together. Build, Build, Build started a revolution that would catapult Philippines to a trillion-dollar economy and reinvigorate areas affected by confit, crisis, and underdevelopment. Even when plans proved to be difficult and impossible, Filipino workers forged ahead to create infrastructure that would spur growth and opportunity so that the next generation would not have to choose between safety and livelihood. Build by Night Owl is a personal narrative of a millennial who joined the biggest workforce in Philippine history and took on the challenge of bringing communities closer to healthcare, education and livelihood.