PHL, Japan make major progress in expediting ODA infrastructure
CABINET off icials from the Philippines and Japan have made “significant” progress in reducing potential delays for projects to be funded by Japanese Off icial Development Assistance (ODA), Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said.
The Philippine officials, in a visit to Tokyo, met with their Japanese counterparts yesterday to agree on implementation procedures for flagship infrastructure projects financed by Tokyo, the Department of Finance (DoF) said in a statement.
At the third Philippines-Japan High-Level Meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation, both sides agreed to expedite processes “for more efficient decision making, and swift execution such as in project preparation and formulation, due diligence, procurement process and project implementation including land acquisition and resettlement,” according to the DoF.
“Now that our plans have progressed, we intend to lay out specific plans on how to expedite the processing and implementation of the flagship projects,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Our regular rounds of highlevel meetings have brought about significant changes in the way we do things. Needless to say, we hope to continue pushing for improvements in order to accomplish more in less time,” he added.
The DoF said that both parties will introduce “innovative mechanisms and actions,” in fast-tracking the projects, while the Japanese side expressed its openness to explore and discuss government- to- government measures.
Earlier Mr. Dominguez said that the National Economic and Development Authority Board revised its rules to have the three separate approvals from different agencies to be consolidated and approved in one board meeting.
Mr. Dominguez said that the revised process would speed up government approvals by about two months.
Projects up for financing under Japanese ODA are valued at P315.4 billion, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged $9 billion worth of such funding during his visit to the Philippines in January.
These projects include the Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project Phase II, Metro Manila Subway Project Phase I, MalolosClark Railway Project, Cavite Industrial Area Flood Management Project, Dalton Pass East Alignment Alternative Road Project, the Road Network Development Project in Conflict- Affected Areas in Mindanao, the Circumferential Road 3 Missing Link Project, and the Pasig Marikina Channel Improvement Project (Phase IV).
As of the first half, ODA loans administered through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), represented of 44.83% of the total ODA portfolio, worth $4.84 billion of the total $10.797 billion.
The joint meetings are intended to firm up the details for the projects ahead of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the Philippines for the projects’ signing ceremonies, on the sidelines of the Nov. 10-14 Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) Summit.
Apart from Mr. Dominguez, the Philippine delegation also included Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar, Bases Conversion and Development Authority President Vivencio B. Dizon, and Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea.
The Japanese side was headed by Hiroto Izumi, a special advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, along with other officials from the Japan Ministries of Finance, of Foreign Affairs, of Trade and Industry, of Economy and of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; and officials from the JICA and Japan Bank for International Cooperation. —