THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has proposed a $500-million-worth Road Sector Institutional Development and Investment Program for funding by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The DPWH said the project aims to maintain and improve 1,900 kilometers of national roads nationwide, prepare a detailed engineering design for 1,680 km of national roads maintained or improved under phases 2 and 3 of the project, and improve governance and strengthen the institutional capacity of the transport sector.

The agency said the project aims to strengthen governance and institutional capacity development in the transport sector and make the national road network in central Luzon, southwestern Visayas and northern Mindanao more efficient.

“These roads are concentrated in three areas, the west coast of central Luzon, the southwestern Visayas, and the northern coast of Mindanao,” said a document prepared by the DPWH for the ADB.

The outputs for phase 1 include the periodic maintenance of about 355 km of nine national roads; improved governance and strengthened institutional capacity; and preparation of detailed engineering design of roads to be improved under phase 2.

The agency said subprojects under Tranche 1 will have no impact on indigenous peoples, as it only involves overlays of existing pavement. However, an Indigenous Peoples Development Framework has been prepared for Tranches 2 and 3 subprojects.

Tranches 2 and 3 subprojects will set out the screening, policy and planning procedures that the DPWH will follow when preparing indigenous peoples specific actions or indigenous peoples development plan. Any IPDP prepared under Tranches 2 and 3 will be submitted to ADB for review and approval.

The IPDF objective is to ensure that all IP communities share in the project benefits and experience limited adverse impacts from the project. Screening and social assessment will be carried out for all subprojects under Tranches 2 and 3.

There are 110 ethnolinguistic groups or indigenous cultural communities found in various parts of the Philippines.

“Any grievance or conflict will be addressed in the context of its customary law and customary dispute resolution process and mechanisms in the presence of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples [NCIP] and DPWH representatives. Both NCIP and DPWH will ensure that the affected IPs are properly represented. An outside facilitator, mediator or arbiter can be requested or required to help in the timely resolution of conflict or grievance. All meetings will be properly recorded and copies to be provided to the affected IPs. Translators will be hired, as needed,” the document stated.