Fernan Carigma

The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) has been tasked with creating the Philippines’ first 25-year infrastructure master plan, aiming to protect critical projects from disruption due to changes in political leadership.

Photo Courtesy of PNA/BusinessWorld

Republic Act No. 1214, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on April 10 and effective as of April 27, reorganizes the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) into DEPDev and mandates it to formulate a long-term infrastructure framework covering 2025 to 2050.

“This is the first time that a government agency is mandated by law to oversee and carry these plans forward, especially as administrations change,” DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

The law instructed DEPDev to lead the planning and implementation of a “Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan,” which must be adopted by the Cabinet and serve as a reference for all future administrations.

“It will not be easy for any Cabinet member, like a Secretary of Public Works or Secretary of Transportation, to just ignore the presence of such masterplan,” Balisacan added, emphasizing institutional accountability.

The master plan tackles the persistent issues in Philippine infrastructure, where significant projects have often been delayed or abandoned due to changing government priorities.

By establishing a legally mandated roadmap, the plan ensures that infrastructure objectives extend beyond the typical six-year political cycles, focusing instead on sustained development.

Nigel Paul Villarete, a senior advisor at Libra Konsult, Inc., stated that this law addresses the tendency of agencies to prioritize short-term plans.

“For the longest time, NEDA categorized our planning as long-, medium-, or short-term… but we are not giving attention to long-term plans,” he noted.

He added that aligning infrastructure with political timelines weakens planning effectiveness. 

“The more we move NEDA away from political interference, the better it can focus on longer-term plans.”

This shift in institutional design places DEPDev at the center of ensuring that infrastructure—roads, bridges, irrigation, transport systems—follows a strategic, multi-decade direction.

The 25-year plan aims to provide continuity, reduce resource waste from abandoned projects, and improve service delivery for communities dependent on long-delayed infrastructure.

By anchoring national infrastructure planning in law, the reform intends to make long-term development goals more resilient to political transitions, ensuring that infrastructure development serves national interests rather than short-term agendas.