Philippines, Japan ink P12-B ODA loan agreement

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine and Japanese governments signed on Tuesday an agreement for a P12.4-billion official development assistance (ODA) to be used for improvement of bridges in Metro Manila and the bypass road project in Davao City.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa, with Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) president Akihiko Tanaka, finalized the agreement and exchanged notes on the projects during a ceremony at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The two yen loan projects were announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the state visit of President Aquino last June.

The Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project (approximately P3.594 billion) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) aims to strengthen the resilience of transport network in Metro Manila in the event of large-scale earthquakes by replacing, retrofitting and rein- forcing the Guadalupe Bridge and Lambingan Bridge.

The project will contribute to a more secure and sustain- able economic development in the country’s capital.

Japanese technology and experience in seismic counter- measures are to be utilized in this project.

The Davao Bypass Construction Project, Package 1-South and Center Sections (approximately P8.783 billion) also by the DPWH aims to improve the transport logistics and mitigate traffic congestion in Davao City by constructing a two-lane, 28.8-km bypass road including a long-tunnel structure in Davao City, the biggest economic center of Mindanao.

The Japanese embassy in Manila said that Japan, one of the leading countries in tunnel construction technology, would fully support the first long-tunnel construction project in the Philippines.

The embassy said the two projects reaffirm Japan’s stead- fast commitment to assisting the Philippines achieve its goal of quality infrastructure development, while strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Japan continues to be the Philippines’ top source of bilateral ODA through loans, grants and technical cooperation. It covers a wide range of areas, including public works, socio-economic infrastructure, transportation and communications, agriculture and capability-building, among others.