Paving the Way: Philippine Road Planning Becomes More Connected

Abstract

The Philippines has an extensive road network, comparative to its more developed neighboring countries in south-east Asia. However, the quality of these road networks varies greatly across the country; almost half are poorly maintained, if at all. Improving the quality of local roads is therefore a key building block for development, particularly in poorer parts of the Philippines. Up until 2018, national government agencies and local government units undertook road planning separately, with each party focused only on the roads under its jurisdiction. Such planning resulted in disjointed and fragmented road projects. In 2018, however, local government road planning took a major step to become more ‘connected’. This signaled a significant shift towards a more integrated road and development planning and better collaboration among government agencies. This story describes the efforts that led to the issuance of the new Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Guidelines in November 2017, which established an integrated approach to road planning through the Local Road Network Development Plan (LRNDP). Compliance with the LRNDP is one of the requirements for local governments to access funding for provincial roads under the DILG program - Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces (CMGP), which is an incentives-based program to encourage provincial governments to invest more on road management. This case also highlights the contributions of the government partners, the private sector, and two Australian government-supported programs, the Provincial Road Management Facility (PRMF) and Coalitions for Change (CfC).