CLARK, Pampanga, Philippines — Philippine and Japanese officials on Tuesday night finalized a $202.04-million (¥21.92-billion) loan for the construction and improvement of roads in Mindanao’s conflict-affected areas, including Marawi City.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, in behalf of the Philippine government, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) senior vice president Yasushi Tanaka, in behalf of the Japanese government, signed the loan accord for the Road Network Development Project (RNDP) in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.
This took place after the eighth meeting of the Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation held here.
Dominguez said the RNDP would cover several road sites in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
He said it aims to reinvigorate the region’s economy and reduce poverty by linking conflict-affected areas to Mindanao’s trading centers, thus improving accessibility and facilitating the flow of goods and services to and from these areas.
JICA, for its part, said Japan’s loan assistance would cover the funding for consulting services and civil works involved in the construction and improvement of about 176.6 kilometers of access roads in the region, including 19.8 kilometers of the Marawi Ring Road and 23 kilometers of the Marawi Trans-Central Road.
Dominguez said the two governments are now targeting to sign within this year a supplemental loan for the ongoing Davao City Bypass Construction Project, as well as loan accords for the New Mactan Bridge Construction Project in Cebu and the second phase of the Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project.
He said Manila and Tokyo also want to finalize within the year the second tranche loan for the first phase of the Metro Manila Subway Project.
Dominguez said the feasibility study for the Dalton Pass East Alignment Alternative Road Project and the Circumferential Road 3 Project Missing Link Project will also be done later this year.
A Japanese delegation, led by Hiroto Izumi, special advisor to Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, visited Clark Pampanga from June 18 to 19 to discuss with Philippine government officials the progress of Japan-funded projects under the Duterte administration’s Build Build Build program.
Dominguez said the two sides committed to continue consultations to accelerate implementation and address challenges involving the roll out of these projects.
The finance chief said Tokyo also reaffirmed its commitment to enhance assistance in Mindanao, and expressed willingness to provide additional aid for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the most affected area in Marawi City.
The discussions also covered other areas of cooperation, including regional development, information and communications technology, energy, environment, public safety and disaster prevention, Dominguez said.