On a scale of 1 to 7—with 1 being extremely underdeveloped and 7
extensive and efficient by global standards—roads in the Philippines scored a
low 3.1 in the 2012 Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum,
according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
In a DPWH report furnished the
Philippine Daily Inquirer, the agency also disclosed that out of the 139
countries worldwide, the Philippines ranked a “mediocre 113th” for the overall
state of its public infrastructure, with particularly low marks for the quality
of its seaports and airports.
Except for Vietnam, which scored
a much lower 2.6, other countries in the region garnered the following scores
on the quality of their roads: Singapore, 6.5; Hong Kong, 6.2; South Korea and
Japan, both 5.8; Malaysia, 5.7; Taiwan, 5.6; Thailand, 5; China, 4.4;
Indonesia, 3.5; and India, 3.4.
The DPWH pointed out that “the
Philippines is lagging behind its neighbours in the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations in terms of quality infrastructure and in particular, the quality
of roads.”
“Although there has been an
improvement from the 2010-2011 Global Competitiveness report, the Philippines
is still behind except for Vietnam, which may not be for long due to heavy
investments in infrastructure going on in that country,” it said.
With public investments of nearly
700 billion pesos (US$16.8 billion), the DPWH has expressed confidence the
Philippines’ ranking would improve before the end of President Aquino’s term in
June 2016.
“Of the total investment
requirement of 698 billion pesos, at least 585.93 billion pesos is earmarked
for the highways sector (from 2011 to 2016),” said the DPWH report.
From 75.04 billion pesos in 2011,
the agency is spending another 81.2 billion pesos this year on national roads,
followed by 91.7 billion pesos in 2013, 101.3 billion pesos in 2014, 113.7
billion pesos in 2015 and 122.9 pesos in 2016.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio
Singson has called upgrading the quality and safety of national road
infrastructure in the country as “one of the DPWH priorities.”
According to Singson, “the
national road network is the most important infrastructure asset of the
government.”
“An indicative estimate of the
national road network asset is valued at 1.2 trillion pesos. The road network
provides the connectivity to all Filipinos for their economic and social
activities. As such, the President has directed DPWH to ensure that the quality
and safety of our national road network are upgraded and maintained properly.
DPWH funding for our national roads and bridges is being increased
substantially to ensure continued economic growth nationwide,” he noted.
Budgetary support until 2016 has
been intended to achieve the DPWH’s key targets, said Singson.
The DPWH aims to “pave by 2014
all existing unpaved roads out of the 15,872 kilometres of national arterial
roads, and by 2016, pave all existing unpaved roads out of the 15,370
kilometres of national secondary roads.”
National arterial roads refer to
the “main trunkline from northern Luzon to southern Mindanao, interconnecting
major islands,” while national secondary roads are “other roads complementing
national arterial roads that also provide access to main population centres.”
In the same report, the DPWH said
the government would look at Malaysia “as a benchmark in terms of quality of
roads.” With a road network of over 98,720 kilometres, 1,821 km of which are
expressways, the Asean country’s infrastructure is one of the most developed in
the region.
Its longest highway, the
North-South Expressway in Peninsular Malaysia, extends over 800 km, linking the
Thai and Singaporean borders.
The DPWH also aims to “make all
bridges on national roads of permanent structure by 2016.”
By the same year, the department
also targets the following: rehabilitation of 58,592 meters of national
bridges; widening of 12,236 meters of existing bridges; construction of 18,255
meters of new bridges; and replacement of 19,725 meters of damaged bridges.
On upgrading the quality of
national roads and bridges, the DPWH’s policies and programmes include the
“adoption of new standards for concrete pavement thickness from 230 mm to 280
mm, outsourcing project inspection and quality assurance, developing new construction
design standards and specifications, and strengthening or retrofitting of
bridges to comply with international seismic standards.”
On improving road safety, the
agency has been “constructing loading and unloading bays, using Traffic
Accident Recording and Analysis System and the International Road Assessment
Programme, assessing 2,500 km of national roads that are considered as ‘high
risk’ roads, enforcing anti-overloading provisions of the law, and clearing of
road hazards, illegal structures and obstructions along national roads.”
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment