The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have reaffirmed their commitment to improving the resilience of mountainous roads in the Philippines.
Public Works Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain said that the partnership between agency and JICA on the on-going Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) for Road Disaster Prevention and Other Countermeasures on Mountainous Road is poised to yield tangible outcomes in developing innovative solutions suited to the unique challenges posed by mountainous terrain in the Philippines particularly in the pilot regions of the Cordillera Administrative Region, Region 7, and 11.
The TCP has four key components namely counter measure works, emergency response, hazard maps, and road disaster information management with the following deliverable manuals: survey/analysis/monitoring manual and permanent countermeasure manual; slope disaster emergency response manual; hazard evaluation manual; and road disaster information system and manual.
Some of the activities are the topographic and geologic survey at pilot sites; seminar on survey, analysis, design and supervision; geohazard mapping; and capacity-building initiatives and knowledge transfer activities in Japan to effectively manage and respond to road disasters in mountainous areas.
“By combining Japanese best practices with the actual local condition, the project aims to strengthen the Philippines’ ability to mitigate the impact of natural hazards on its road networks, ensuring safer and more resilient infrastructure across the country under the “Bagong Pilipinas”, Sadain said.
With support from the JICA expert team, the project underscores Japan’s commitment to supporting the Philippines in enhancing its infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness efforts.