The Government of Japan donated Friday, January 18, 2019 over 54.21 million Philippine peso (112.98 million Japanese yen) worth of equipment to enhance the Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood fighting activities and disaster response.
Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines Koji Haneda officially turned over to DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar eight (8) units of mobile drainage pump and seventeen (17) power generation set with tower lights in a handover ceremony at the DPWH-Unified Project Management Office-Flood Control Management Office at Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure (NHCS) Compound in Pasig City.
The donation package procured by the Japan International Cooperation System (JICS) is part of the Japan’s Non-Project Grant Aid for Provision of Japanese Disaster Reduction Equipment 2014 for the Republic of the Philippines.
Secretary Villar expressed heartfelt thanks to the Government of Japan for the kind benevolence of providing continued assistance for the Filipino people.
According to DPWH Undersecretary for UPMO Operations and Technical Services Emil K. Sadain, the mobile drainage pumps will be distributed to DPWH Regions 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12 and National Capital Region for emergency responding to flooding situations.
On the other hand, the 17 units of floodlights to be distributed to all DPWH Regional Offices and the Bureau of Equipment will allow emergency response and work repairs after natural disasters especially during low-light conditions, added Undersecretary Sadain.
The truck-mount type submersible pump package with generator has drainage capacity of 7.5 cubic meters per minute will be used for addressing inland flooding problems of major urban centers of the recipient regions thru the pumping out of floodwaters brought by typhoon and heavy rains to nearby waterways
Project Director Patrick Gatan of the DPWH UPMO-Flood Control Management Cluster said that appropriate trainings for the operation and maintenance of the equipment were earlier given to representatives of recipient DPWH Regional Offices.
In 2014, the DPWH also received eight (8) mobile drainage pumps from the Government of Japan and the equipment were effective in contributing to the early subsidence of inland floodwaters in Regions 3, 4-A, 7, 8, 11, 13 and National Capital Region where the equipment were earlier distributed.