Philippines have obtained new loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that is meant to improve roads network in Mindanao.
A total of 11 big-ticket infrastructure projects will be implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under the $380 million loan agreement on Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project signed Wednesday, January 10, 2018 by Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and ADB President Takehiko Nakao.
The project is ADB’s first support for a regional project in the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” under the President Rodrigo R. Duterte administration.
DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said the project which will be implemented from 2018 up to 2023 will cover the construction of eight (8) roads in Zamboanga Peninsula with total length of 277.23 kilometers and additional three (3) bridges in the Province of Tawi-Tawi with total length of 775 lineal meters.
“The whole project costs P25.257 Billion. With the ADB loan, we can utilize more of our budget to other key infrastructure projects of the government,” said Secretary Villar.
Under the project, three (3) core projects which include the 23.69-kilometer Alicia-Malangas Road; 17.1-kilometer Tampilisan-Sandayong Road; and 37.49-kilometer Lutiman-Guicam-Olutanga Road with 440-lineal meter Guicam Bridge are for procurement on the first quarter of 2018
The detailed engineering design of five (5) more projects namely: the 55.25-kilometer R.T. Lim-Siocon Road; 40-kilometer Lanao-Pagadian-Ipil-Zamboanga Road and Curuan-Sibuco Road; 34.5-kilometer Siay-Gapol Road; and the 27.76-kilometer Gutalac-Baliguian Alternative Road, is now 80% completed.
Bridges in Taw-Tawi namely: Malassa-Lupa Pula; Tongsinah-Paniongan; and Nalil-Sikkiat will also be covered by the project.
All these projects have the common goal and in line with the strategies of Build….Build….Build by accelerating infrastructure development to support Mindanao development by increasing the capacity of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) road network and improving and widening of existing roads and bridges to upgrade and expand the Philippine road network”, Villar added.
These roads and bridges are among the priority projects of the DPWH as the agency focus on backing the economic development outside Luzon, in this case of the Mindanao Area.