THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Thursday that it is currently collaborating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on a project to mitigate the impact of disasters in coastal areas.
The partnership involves “capacity development in coastal engineering for a disaster resiliency project, focusing on resilience of coastal communities against disasters,” the department said in a statement.
The objective, it said, is to “meet the challenges of climate change and build safe, resilient, and sustainable communities.”
The project will run for five years, from the date of first dispatch of JICA experts in July last year.
The project scope, the DPWH said, includes compiling coastal management case studies observed in the Philippines, where action taken may have involved improving laws and policies, strategies and regulations, land use, the definition of responsibilities of various organizations, enforcement, public awareness or education, and knowledge dissemination or training among technical staff.
The big-ticket projects in the Philippines backed by JICA include the Dalton Pass East Alignment Project, the Cagayan de Oro-Malaybalay section of the Central Mindanao Highway Project, the Parañaque Spillway/Tunnel Project, the Davao City Flood Control and Drainage Project, and the second phase of the Urgent Bridges Construction Project for Rural Development. — Arjay L. Balinbin
