Build, Build, Build committee chair Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo’s book takes the reader on the road
The chair of the Build Build Build committee under the Department of Public Works and Highways, Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo’s book, Nightowl, is a detailed look at where the Philippines is going, as well as where it has been. The book, which was edited by AA Patawaran, takes the reader on a journey across 29,264 kilometers of roads, 5,950 bridges, and 50 years of infrastructure. Lamentillo takes on a scope of subjects: the history of the country’s infrastructure projects, a progress report on the current administration’s program; it’s part travelogue, part memoir, a firsthand take on the business of connecting the disparate provinces that make up the Philippines.
Golden Age of Infrastructure
This book also tackles the massive nation building initiative, a medium-term development strategy dubbed as the Philippines’ Golden Age of Infrastructure, from both the little-things and big-picture perspectives, highlighting with equal care little details like the Infra-track App and its built-in geotagging, satellite technology, and drone monitoring, which have been put in place in compliance with the government’s mandate of increased transparency and accountability, as well as a broad view on how Build, Build, Build and each of its manifold projects tie in with the master plan of ASEAN connectivity.
A guide on the road to progress
In Nightowl, Lamentillo divulges the key numbers: the cost of many projects, including how they were funded, whether through national government financing, public-private partnerships, or official development assistance.
Its detailed discussions of roads and bridges will inform policy debates today and in the future. A record of this generation’s legacy for the information and inspiration of the next generations, replete with how infrastructure interventions can be solutions to national issues such as identity, poverty, and security, it is a map as well as guide on the road to progress.
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Night Owl is published by the Manila Bulletin and is available at Central Bookstore, Fully Booked and National Bookstore. For orders and inquiries, email [email protected]. You may also order online via nightowl.ph
