Bases Conversion and Development Authority ( BCDA) President Vince Dizon debunked on Wednesday the statement of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon that the Duterte administration's "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure program was a "dismal failure."

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Dizon said there are 35 ongoing infrastructure projects.

The 35 projects are part of the new list of 100 flagship projects, which what the government would submit to the Senate, he said.

The new set of projects revised a list of 75 flagship projects, which were approved in the early part of the Duterte administration .

"We disagree that it is a dismal failure; and the numbers I think, speak for themselves," Dizon said.

"Infrastructure spending is up, way up - double, in fact, more than double. And this has resulted in real gains in the economy, it's very clear," he added.

Dizon said some projects from the list of 75 were shelved and no longer part of the new list of 100.

The shelved projects include inter-island bridges, which were "just too expensive and difficult to build as of this time," such as the bridge connecting Leyte and Bicol.

"But of course, you’re talking about upwards of 50 kilometers across rough seas ‘no. And when the feasibility studies were done, they were either too expensive or the technology isn’t there yet to really build them now. We’re not saying that those bridges are never gonna be built, but right now, government is better off using its resources building other things that are feasible now," he explained.

Drilon earlier described the Duterte administration's infrastructure projects as "dismal failure, citing only nine of the 75 flagship projects have started construction.

Dizon said the revised list of 100 flagship projects has an estimated total cost of P4.3 trillion.

Aside from the 35 ongoing projects in the list of 100, he said that 32 more will be commencing construction in the next six to eight months; 21 are in the advance stages of government approval; and 12 are in advanced stages of feasibility study. Celerina Monte/DMS