DPWH strengthens ties on infrastructure development with South Korea
By Trixee Rosel
The Philippines has better infrastructure development due to stronger bilateral relations with South Korea and it is bound only to further improve, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Thursday, February 29.
DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain met with executives from the Korea Export-Import Bank (KEXIM) led by its vice president, Hong Soon-young, at the KEXIM headquarters in Seoul as they discussed key infrastructure projects that were built to link communities, promote trade, and boost economic activity nationwide such as highways, bridges, and flood control facilities through the help of the Republic of Korea.
Sadain expressed gratitude to KEXIM for providing not only the necessary financing capital but also invaluable expertise, innovation, and best practices to infrastructure development initiatives, which are seen to contribute to the Marcos administration's "Build Better More" program.
Among the major infrastructure projects funded by KEXIM in the Philippines include the Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project Phase I in Northern Samar, the Panguil Bay Bridge in Northern Mindanao, the Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaption Measures in Pampanga's low-lying areas in Central Luzon.
The Department of Finance and KEXIM also inked a $56.6 million loan contract in 2022 to cover the engineering services for the ongoing construction of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Island Bridges in Western Visayas.
Currently, Yooshin Engineering Corp. in joint venture with Kyong-Ho Engineering & Architects Co. Ltd., Dohwa Engineering Co. Ltd., Soosung Engineering Co. Ltd. and Dasan Consultants Co. Ltd. is undertaking the engineering services for the 32.47-kilometer PGN bridges connecting Panay Island, Guimaras Island, and Negros Island.
The project is divided into two sections: Panay-Guimaras, or Section A, which is 13 kilometers long and consists of a 4.97-kilometer sea-crossing bridge, and Guimaras-Negros, or Section B, which is 19.47 kilometers long and contains a sea-crossing bridge with a length of 13.11 kilometers.