WB set to release $120 M for 2 big projects in RP

The World Bank (WB) is set to release this April, a $120-million loan that will fund the Metro Manila Urban Transport Integration Project (MMURTRIP) and the Second Local Government Unit Urban Water and Sanitation Project (LGUUWSP).

The two projects form part of the WB country assistance strategy (CAS) programs lined up for the Philippines this year.

The MMURTRIP to be implemented by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will cost $60 million.

The project, to be implemented in Metro Manila, seeks to improve traffic management measures that would decongest major thoroughfares. It will also enhance the use of public transport, improve the effectiveness of committed mega-projects and increase road access to other areas, particularly those outside EDSA, Metro Manila main road artery.

The components of the MMURTRIP include: traffic management improvements along the Light Rail Transit Line III corridor, and at the South Superhighway interchange; MARIPAS access improvements-Marikina Valley projects; a secondary roads program, and a pilot non-motorized transport bicycle route in low income areas.

The remaining $60 million on the other hand, will be used to finance the LGUUWSP II which will be implemented by the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The project will assist water utilities to improve their operational efficiency and accountability to consumers, reorganize the regulatory framework for water utilities, and attract adequate financial flows into the water and sanitation sector.

Other projects in the pipeline this year under the CAS which runs from 1999 to 2002, include the $4.54-million Land Administration and Management Project to be implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; and the $100-million Social Expenditure Management Loan II which will involve strengthening the management capacity and systems by supporting critical reforms in education, health and social welfare.