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THE
National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board
has approved P41.22 billion worth of projects to be
funded through official development assistance (ODA).
The
three projects are the P28.29-billion Road Enhancement
and Asset Preservation Management Program (REAPMP), the
P10.73-billion President’s Bridge Program (PBP)-Mega
Bridges for Urban and Rural Development Project and the
P2.2-billion Bicol River Basin and Watershed Management
Project (BRBWMP)-Flood and Hazard Mitigation Component.
The
REAPMP, which will be implemented by the Department of
Public Works and Highways (DPWH), aims to improve,
preserve and manage its National Road System and
complement the
World Bank-assisted National Road
Improvement and Management Project.
The
biggest portion of the total program cost, which amounts
to 51 percent, will come from loan proceeds proposed to
be financed under the Japan Bank for International
Cooperation (JBIC).
Around
39.1 percent of the government counterpart will come
from the General Appropriations Act and 9.6 percent will
come from the Motor Vehicles User’s Charge special
funds allocated primarily for road maintenance.
The
total cost of the project also includes a P97.6-million
grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica),
which comprises about 0.3 percent of the total cost and
is intended for technical assistance.
The
REAPMP will be implemented over a period of seven years
from 2008 to 2014. On the first year, engineering and
procurement of contracts for civil works will be done,
while the remaining six years will be used for the
proposed intervention activities.
Maintenance works for its components, the Long-Term
Performance Based Maintenance-cum-Enhancement,
Upgrading/Improvement roads will continue in 2015
onward.
Meanwhile, the PBP, which will also be implemented by
the DPWH, involves the nationwide construction,
installation and establishment of a total of 10
girder-type flyovers and 72 national bridges along the
country’s congested highways and road network utilizing
permanent prefabricated modular steel technology from
France.
When
completed, the project will provide vital linkages or
road network access along the Strong Republic Nautical
Highway and Pan Philippine Highway.
Of the
total project cost, around P9.45 billion, or 88 percent,
will be sourced from foreign financing, while the
remaining 12 percent, or P1.28 billion, will be financed
by the government.
“The
project is proposed to be financed through a combination
of French Export Credit [Buyer Credit] and Tied
Commercial Loan,” Neda documents said.
The
project will be implemented over a four-year period
starting from the second quarter of this year until
2012.
Meanwhile, the Flood and Hazard Mitigation Component (FHM)
component of the DPWH’s Bicol River Basin and Watershed
Management Project is a comprehensive development
program on natural-resources management and
water-resources projects within the context of a river
basin planning management.
This is
composed of subcomponents in flood mitigation; Hazard
Assessment and Mitigation, which will be implemented by
the DPWH with the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau Office of the
Civil Defense, and Philippine Atmosphere, Geophysical
and Astronomical Services Administration; and Land
Acquisition and Resettlement.
Of the
total FHM component, P1.2 billion, or 56 percent, will
be sourced from ODA financing, while the remaining 44
percent or P1 billion will be the government’s
counterpart.
The Neda
said the project will now be proposed for financing by
the World Bank instead of the JBIC since many of the
other components of the BRBWMP are already financed by
the WB.
The
whole BRBWMP will be implemented over six years from
2008 to 2013. Preparatory activities started in 2007 and
implementation of the different project components will
start this year. |
