DPWH teams up with Japan for road disaster prevention program

Japan is known to manage disasters efficiently for the longest time. This is why The Land of the Rising Sun is the ideal partner for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to help the Philippines address its own share of road disasters.

Secretary Mercado with Mr. Sakamoto

That said, DPWH has partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to formally commence a technical cooperation program on road disaster prevention and other countermeasures on mountainous roads. Here are the infrastructure policies and programs DPWH has been implementing under the program:

• Ensure a safe and reliable national road system through rehabilitation and reconstruction of national roads with slips, slope collapse, and landslides.
• Provide safe access to highly vulnerable areas.
• Rehabilitate, retrofit, and strengthen existing bridges.

Present in the signing of the Record of Discussions are DPWH Secretary Roger G. Mercado and JICA Philippines Office Chief Representative Takema Sakamoto, along with key officials from concerned parties. Secretary Mercado said that the partnership will improve the quality of life of millions of Filipinos by providing safe and reliable infrastructures.

The projects under the program include countermeasures against landslides, debris flow, and rock collapse. It also includes enhancing countermeasure works for slope disaster, emergency response, hazard maps development, and road disaster information management.

The program aims to enhance safety on mountainous roads

The said initiatives will be introduced to minimize the damage caused by the yearly occurrence of strong typhoons and earthquakes in the country. Of note, the technical cooperation project will run for three and a half years, with the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and Regions 7 and 11 as the first areas to have their mountainous roads strengthened.

“With the willingness of Japanese experts to share their effective technologies on landslides and other road disaster mitigation, the DPWH engineers will be able to apply the best methodology in mitigating and preventing road catastrophes,” said Secretary Mercado.

Catch the latest road projects in the country at Philkotse.com.