To cater to readers who prefer carrying their books in their mobile devices, “Night Owl: Build, Build, Build,” this author’s book about the Duterte Administration’s flagship infrastructure program, is now available on Amazon’s Kindle Store and on Google Play Books.

While this development may seem like an ode to my new duty as assistant secretary in the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which is in-charge of the government’s digitization efforts, what we really intend is for Night Owl to reach more people in different parts of the globe.

We want to reach a wider audience and be able to communicate how the previous administration’s efforts, which the present leadership is following through, to heavily invest in infrastructure is benefitting our citizens.

It is really worth sharing how through “Build, Build, Build” we were able to improve people’s lives and uplift communities, especially those who previously did not have access to or had difficulty accessing schools, markets, hospitals, livelihood opportunities, and basic services.

Imagine being able to build 29,264 kilometers of roads, 5,950 bridges, 11,340 flood mitigation structures, 222 evacuation centers, 150,149 classrooms, 214 airport projects, and 451 seaport projects in a span of five years – it’s an accomplishment carried out by leaders with a strong commitment to public service. 

In fact, Senator Mark Villar, who was then the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary, was able to find solutions to lingering problems on right-of-way, ghost projects, and unmet deadlines.

But of course, we would not have accomplished this much without the skills, work, and sacrifices of the 6.5 million Filipino workers who have turned blueprints into actual roads, bridges, and buildings. Because of them, we were able to connect our communities and islands, and we got closer to our dream of connecting Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao via land travel.

We also hope that in sharing the difficulties we met along the way, leaders will find inspiration in the grit and commitment that the “Build, Build, Build” team manifested to overcome the challenges.

With Night Owl now available on Amazon and Google, we hope to encourage more people, citizens, and leaders alike, to read it and see the value of infrastructure development and of having the political will to implement not only these infrastructure projects but more importantly the reforms that allowed for these plans and initiatives to come into fruition.