MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has increased infrastructure spending in recent years, but the higher expenditure has yet to translate into infrastructure competitiveness comparable to its Asean neighbors, Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Monday. During a congressional briefing, Balisacan said the Philippines continues to trail behind countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, pointing to the need to look beyond the amount of government spending on infrastructure. “We must also improve project selection, appraisal, procurement, implementation, and maintenance to ensure that public resources deliver high quality infrastructure on time, and at reasonable cost,” […]...Keep on reading: Balisacan: Infra spending must translate to stronger competitiveness