The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) convened for the 7th Intergovernmental Infrastructure Development Board (IIDB) to enhance infrastructure in the region and improve the lives of Bangsamoro people.
DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain emphasized the commitment of both the national and Bangsamoro governments to collaborate on significant infrastructure projects during the meeting.
Representing Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan at the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB), Sadain underscored the IGRB's role in resolving governmental issues through mandated consultations and negotiations under the Bangsamoro Organic Law of 2019.
The DPWH serves as the national government's co-chair in the IIDB, a crucial mechanism for aligning national and Bangsamoro infrastructure plans to enhance regional connectivity, manage floods, and sustain infrastructure in the Bangsamoro region.
The DPWH is advocating for the establishment of its regional office and district engineering offices in BARMM.
The proposal is currently under review by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
At the meeting, updates were provided by DPWH Regional Offices 9, 10, and 12, alongside the Planning Service, on various projects, including road and bridge administration, maintenance, and flagship projects funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the BARMM, implemented by UPMO Operations.
Highlighted ODA-funded initiatives include the reconstruction of Marawi's Transcentral Road under the Japan International Cooperation Agency's (JICA) Programme for Support to Rehabilitation and Reconstruction.
Ongoing projects in conflict-affected Mindanao areas involve road network development under JICA, Marawi's reconstruction under the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and bridge construction in Tawi-Tawi under ADB's Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project (IGCMRSP).
Furthermore, the DPWH-UPMO Operations oversees multiple ADB-funded projects such as the Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation Project for the Ranao (Agus) River Basin and a road network in Sulu Province.
Another key project aims to reduce flooding in Cotabato City and nearby areas by addressing issues with the Ambal-Simuay River and Rio Grande de Mindanao, having completed its feasibility study and pending loan approval to proceed with the design and construction phases.