The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has teamed up with Japanese experts to improve the Philippines' disaster risk reduction countermeasures through coastal engineering.
DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain spearheaded the first joint coordinating committee meeting for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Technical Cooperation Project for Capacity Development in Coastal Engineering for Disaster Resiliency on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Sadain said the Japanese experts promised to share their experiences in coastal engineering and vowed to train DPWH personnel in planning and designing structures in coastal areas.
“They help us study how existing laws and policies can be improved to bridge the gap in disaster management,” said Sadain.
The five-year technical cooperation project with JICA comes with a human resource development plan to strengthen the DPWH's capacity in building disaster-proof structures along coastal areas in the Philippines.
“On behalf of DPWH Secretary Bonoan, our sincerest appreciation to the Government of Japan through JICA for the relentless support to the Philippines in developing not just transport infrastructure but also in making communities more safe, resilient, and sustainable,” Sadain echoed.
The joint committee meeting focused on sharing information, ideas, opinions, and experiences among officials.
Sadain further noted that as natural phenomena keep changing, the project team also discussed issues such as erosion, flooding, and damage to coastal infrastructures in Luzon and Visayas regions based on their recent surveys and site visits.
Also present during the meeting were representatives from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Tourism (DOT); Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA); Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA); Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA); Philippine Space Agency (PSA), and University of the Philippines (UP).