Infrastructure is not a ‘project’

IN comments he made at an investment roadshow in Hong Kong last week, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima noted that the Philippines needs at least $125 billion—and in his view, probably more —to bring the country’s infrastructure up to a standard that would better integrate the country into the web of global supply chains and ease adaptation to climate change.

We have to bear in mind, of course, that the Aquino Administration’s discussing infrastructure investment is mostly idle speculation; the current government’s future plans do not extend past whatever can be initiated by the end of the first quarter of next year, and the next administration – if we are fortunate enough to avoid being saddled with either a poor facsimile of the current president or an addled twit who thinks being the adopted daughter of a rough-hewn action movie star is an actual public service qualification – is likely to have different and hopefully more substantial objectives.