The Department of Transportation in the Philippines has met with Japanese officials led by Japanese House of Councillors (HC) Member Iwai Shigeki, together with Koyari Takashi, Koga Yukihito, Wakamatsu Kaneshige, Chief Researcher Hiromatsu Akihiko, and Assistant Director Kondo Tomoya.
The meeting focused on the improvement of the country’s railway projects under the Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA).
The Japan delegation expressed their desire to accord assistance and help accelerate the ongoing railway projects, such as the MRT-3 rehabilitation, as one of the solutions to ease the traffic in the metro.
Transportation Secretary Art Tugade reiterated two things of which the Japan government can possibly help: (1) to further advance the rehabilitation and maintenance of the MRT-3, and (2) to accelerate the use of the Dalian trains.
“We are pushing for the acceptance and adoption of Land Value Capture in the evaluation of infrastructure projects. With this concept, we can build more infrastructure and we can assure the return of investment on a faster basis,” Tugade said in a statement.
Tugade also announced that Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is donating through grant, more or less 30 units of simulators to be used for the Philippine Railways Institute (PRI).
“With the relationship between the Japanese and Philippine governments, with the help of JICA, various projects in the country are now moving fast and sure. And I am sure, that after this meeting, it will become faster and more sure,” Tugade said.
