Manuel Bonoan said Friday that as the nominated secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways by President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr, he would prioritize solving traffic congestion.

“For us, I think we really have to really address, number one, is the traffic congestion problem, right? Not just in the urban areas like in Metro Manila but also in our national roads, there in the inter-regional network,” he told dzBB.

“In the interconnection of the regions, there are many traffic congestion problems there. So when they travel there, the travel of the motorists is slow and costly. So the moment that we can fix that, (we can) provide unimpeded travel. Efficient, (un)impeded travel. And maybe, the delivery of goods and services will become easier,” he added.

Bonoan, who also served in the DPWH during past administrations, said Marcos directed him to continue outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s Build, Build, Build project.

“I think (the instruction)of President Bongbong is, we’ll continue the Build, Build, Build project. So he said ‘finish what was started in the soonest time possible so that it could be used and so it can contribute to economic development,” Bonoan said.

“Despite that, he also said that we need to scrutinize those in the pipeline because of the financial deficit… the pandemic problems, like the pandemic budget,” he said.

Bonoan also said Marcos said that they will look into the portfolio of the DPWH to prioritize “high-impact” projects that could help in the country’s economic recovery.

Marcos revealed Thursday a day after his proclamation as president by Congress, that he would be appointing Bonoan as the secretary of DPWH.

Bonoan worked for 44 years in DPWH. Under the Fidel Ramos presidency, he was an assistant secretary.

During President Gloria Arroyo’s term, he was acting DPWH head.

He also became undersecretary under President Joseph Estrada’s administration.

Bonoa, an engineer, manages the tollways, including the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) , Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) and the NAIA Expressway. Jaspearl Tan/DMS