MANILA, Philippines – The Japanese government will help the Philippines avoid road accidents, especially during natural disasters.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recently signed a three-year technical cooperation project for road disaster prevention and other countermeasures.

The project, which will run until 2025, aims to strengthen DPWH’s ability to avoid, minimize and respond to damage from landslides, debris flows and rockfalls, among other things by implementing the road disaster prevention and countermeasures.

JICA Chief Representative Takema Sakamoto said the country’s geographical location makes it vulnerable to natural disasters.

Large-scale road disasters such as landslides occur every year in the country due to severe typhoons and earthquakes which in turn severely damage public roads and make them inaccessible.

Japan’s expertise in high-quality disaster-proof infrastructure will be shared with DPWH through capacity development activities in road disaster response and management, including the development hazard maps and a road disaster information system.

The project will be piloted in the Central Visayas, Davao region and the Cordilleras.

“JICA continues to help the Philippines improve quality infrastructure with the concept of sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience, in order to save lives, promote economic growth, reduce poverty and improve quality. of life for all,” Sakamoto said.

“This project can help preserve and extend the life of investments in public works, thereby also saving on the country’s financing needs,” he said.

The project is also expected to create jobs and promote investment as the country recovers from COVID.

JICA has previously supported the capacity development efforts of DPWH engineers on road embankment protection technology in the event of collapse or small-scale damage through a series of projects since 2007.

It has helped the Philippines promote smooth mobility and better connectivity across the country through cooperation in roads and bridges.