Project News

As part of the technical cooperation project “Strengthening the Flood Management Function of DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways)”, three areas are designated as the pilot project, which started with the one in the Kinanliman river basin in Real, Quezon province in the east of Luzon island after the Philippine Government had made the first budget of 10 million pesos (about 27 million yen) for the national mid-term development plan. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 17, 2007 in a hotel in Real, attended by representatives of the Japanese Embassy, the JICA Philippine Office, the regional office and technical bureau of DPWH, the mayor of Real city, a first-district congressman, the owner of the land, the director of FCSEC,

Japanese experts and so on.This pilot project is aimed at confirming the applicability of the plan, design, execution andmanagement by use of the related documents made by the former ENCA project (2000-2005); monitoring and evaluating the capacity of the facilities. This project is toconstruct the 200-meter-banks. In the Kinanliman river basin fifty-eight people were killed by heavy rainfall in
2004. The Philippine government asked JICA for the technical cooperation in the basin and also the construction of facilities controlling floods and soil erosion is expected to prevent damages in the future. At the end of the ceremony, attendants signed their names on the facility drawing, put it in the capsule and buried it on the construction site.

The summary of the speech by the secretary of the Japanese embassy is as follows; “On behalf of the Government, we would like to y congratulate you all at the start of this pilot project as part of technical cooperation project with DPWH.
The Philippines is vulnerable to natural disasters such as landslide in southern Leyte and mud flood at the foot of Mt. Mayon last year, and typhoon disaster in Quezon in 2004. In Japan we also have many natural disasters and take countermeasures every year. We hope our experience will be effectively utilized in the policy making of the Philippines through this pilot project. It is necessary that there be not only technology transfer but also technology adjustment to the current situation of the Philippines. In this regard, we would like to make two requests.
First, we hope all staff and officials concerned will make efforts to successfully implement this pilot project and that this project will lead flood control projects in the Philippines. Second, we hope FCSEC will be the permanent organization and will strengthen the disaster prevention function of DPWH. Hopefully the technology of disaster prevention will be maintained after the completion of this technical cooperation project in 2010.”