Officials and representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Embassy of Japan in the Philippines met on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 for the first Joint Coordinating Committee and Technical Working Group meeting to discuss the proposed second phase of road master plan deal that aims to develop at least 9,500 kilometers of high standard highways (HSH) in the Philippines.
Led by DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, the meeting attended by DPWH Undersecretaries Rafael Yabut, Maria Catalina Cabral, Emil Sadain, Roberto Bernardo, and Dimas Soguilon; Assistant Secretary Eugenio Pipo Jr., and Japan Embassy Representatives Makoto Iyori and Shintaro Ichiki; JICA Chief Representative Yoshio Wada; JICA Study Team Project Leader Ryuichi Ueno, Deputy Team Leader Ryuichi Oikawa, and members Mitsuo Kiuchi (Team Leader of HSH Phase 1), Nashreen Sinarimbo, Yui Miyahara, Angelita Balid, Medardo Habal, Jr. and Joshua Suarez, as well as representatives from the Department of Transportation, MMDA, PPP Center and the Department of the Interior and Local Government outlined the timeline of the JICA-funded deal dubbed as “The Study of Master Plan on High Standard Highway Network Development, Phase 2”.
“Unlike Phase 1, which only cover areas within 200-kilometer radius from Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Tagum-Davao-General Santos Corridor that covered only 3,460 kilometers of HSH, Phase 2 has expanded the coverage outside the highly urbanized areas and covered 9,500 kilometers of HSH,” said Secretary Villar.
“We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the government of Japan - the Japan International Cooperation Agency - for the continued support particularly in pursuing the High Standard Highway Network Development, Phase 2. Rest assured that the Department will exert all efforts to make sure of the success of this project,” added Secretary Villar.
To come up with the master plan, the JICA Study Team will review the present national road and expressway network and development plans as well as the Phase 1 or 2010 master plan coverage; assess regional connectivity; undertake traffic surveys; formulate future socio-economic framework; forecast future traffic demand; identify issues of national road and expressway; define criteria for HSW network; formulate HSH network development strategy consistent with the National Transport Policy; and conduct some pre-feasibility studies.
The JICA Study Team in coordination with the DPWH and other stakeholders will define the overall HSH network focusing on nationwide expressway network until September 2019; will formulate the priority projects and pre-feasibility studies from October 2019 until March 2020 to deliver the final Master Plan by June 2020.