ADB approves 380 mln USD loan to improve roads in S. Philippines

MANILA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 380-million-U.S.-dollar loan to help the Philippine government strengthen the road network in the southern Mindanao Island, the country's second largest island with about 20 million people, the Manila-based bank said on Friday.

The bank said the Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project, ADB's biggest infrastructure investment in the island region, seeks to improve about 280 km of national roads and bridges in Mindanao.

"The project, which is also the first Mindanao-specific loan granted by ADB in 16 years, will help the transport system better deal with the effects of climate change through features such as elevated pavements, enhanced slope protection, and better drainage," the ADB said in a statement.

ADB said that communities will benefit from road safety awareness campaigns to be conducted under the project. All project roads will be geotagged with information accessible on the Internet, so the public can monitor road investment projects throughout the project lifecycle, including procurement and construction.

Moreover, it said the assistance will also help finance the detailed design of 300 km of national highways in Mindanao, which will be constructed through other projects.

Institutionally, it will help the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways improve the long-term planning, fiscal accountability, and human resource management in the transport sector in Mindanao and the rest of the country.

In the Philippines, about 23 percent of the national road network is in poor condition, due to various reasons including inadequate funding, lack of maintenance, and the impact of climate change, such as flooding.

Mindanao's road network is less developed than the national average, with only 70 percent of the roads paved, compared with 82 percent in the Philippine main Luzon Island and 89 percent in the Visayas in the central Philippines, according to the ADB.

Established in 1966, ADB has 67 members, 48 from the Asia-Pacific region. Enditem