An expanded road network, together with an efficient transportation system, is essential to the life of a nation.

That there is a Pan Philippine Highway extending all the way from Northern Luzon to Southern Mindanao is a major national accomplishment. It helps foster national unity. And It broadens the perspective of those who used to feel remote and isolated. It opens a window of opportunity to so many.

But having a highway-grade road network is only a beginning. Its quality must be upgraded to world-class standards to stimulate more economic activities. And more kilometers of road must be added to the system to connect more cities and municipalities.

The quality of a road network is reflective of the stage of development of a country. The United States is on top of the list of countries with an impressive system of highways. And in Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong are remarkable too for their respective road systems.

Admittedly, an upgrading and expansion of the Pan Philippine Highway will entail a huge financial outlay. Given the current level of budgetary deficit, any massive road development program cannot be shouldered mainly by public fund.

With the Build, Operate, Transfer (BoT) approach that has been tried successfully for some public works projects, a highway expansion strategy can be implemented. And in the preparation of an over-all blueprint, LGUs should be involved early on as stakeholders. They are in a good position to identify farm-to-market road locations which should be part of the expansion of the national highway system.

When the condition of our highways gets upgraded, we can also expect a collateral benefit for the tourism industry. Domestic tourism will grow as overland travel to tourist destinations. This will entail setting up more tourism-support facilities such as restaurants and clean rest stations in many points along the way.

The vision of a better Pan Philippine Highway is not complete without extending to locations that are not yet readily accessible, like the province of Aurora, the island provinces of Marinduque, Masbate, and many others. They should also be connected to the national mainstream.

Interconnecting our archipelago in every way possible is the backbone of the process of nation building. And upon its success depends the emergence of a stronger nation.

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