THE Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said it stands ready to further support Philippine railway, road, and bridge projects if the Philippines puts forward suitable proposals.
“JICA will continue to support the Philippine government’s projects for railways, roads and bridges. Specific projects of course, will purely depend on the Philippine government’s request and discussions with JICA,” JICA Senior Representative for Economic Growth Keisuke Fukui said in an e-mail.
JICA has no ongoing discussions with the Philippine government on funding new transport projects, Mr. Fukui said.
Currently, JICA is funding the North-South Commuter railway project, the Metro Manila Subway project, the rehabilitation of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and the extension of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1).
JICA is also pursuing transport modernization technical cooperation projects with the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
“These projects show JICA’s development philosophy of combining hard infrastructure and soft support through technology transfer,” Mr. Fukui said.
Noting Japan’s strengths in construction technology, JICA continues to provide support to ensure the sustainability of its projects through capacity development of Filipino partners, particularly in operation and maintenance, he said.
JICA pointed to the 30-year railway masterplan as a model for modernizing the transportation system.
In 2023, the DoTr said JICA committed 300 million yen to develop the 30-year railway master plan, whose objectives include making Philippine rail lines compliant with international standards.
The masterplan’s completion timeline has yet to be determined, Mr. Fukui said, though last year JICA said the target completion date is 2026. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
