ABOUT 1,688 kilometers of roads from 677 separate projects are due to be built under the P30.9-billion 2018 Tourism Road Infrastructure Program.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said in a statement that TRIP, a program run by the DPWH and the Department of Tourism (DoT), calls for road projects to be built across 16 regions in 2018.
The tourism road projects include access roads leading to Mapita Tribal Community in Pangasinan; as well as works in New Clark City; the Callao Caves in Tuguegarao City; Buscalan in Kalinga, home of a famous tattoo artist; Seven Cities in Iloilo; La Paz, Zamboanga City; Dahilayan Adventure Park in Bukidnon; and Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) in Davao del Norte.
Coastal roads leading to nature and marine reserves in Pasacao-Balatan in Camarines Sur; Gilutongan and Nalusuan Marine Sanctuary in Cebu; and Canopy Forest in Eastern Samar are also listed as priority projects under TRIP.
In 2012, the DPWH and the DoT signed an agreement to boost tourism infrastructure in priority destinations. In the last five years, the program has completed over 1,500 roads nationwide. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo
