BATANGAS CITY, Batangas – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the improvement of industry projects under the Road Leveraging Linkages Evaluation Rating System (ROLLERS).
“DTI and DPWH joined forces to address the damaged and impassable roads leading to industries and trade development cities and towns in Calabarzon because we aim to have inclusive economic growth,” DTI Calabarzon Regional Director Marilou Q. Toledo said.
Under the partnership, DTI Calabarzon is tasked to manage and evaluate potential industry road projects, with specific tasks to identify, evaluate its importance, necessity, implementable and on readiness.
The DTI-DPWH partnership was forged following the success of the DPWH collaborative undertaking with the Department of Tourism (DOT) on the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) in the Calabarzon region comprising Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.
As initial step for the partnership, the two departments conducted their regional orientation on the Roads Leveraging Linkages of Industry and Trade (ROLL-IT) Program with representatives from various cities and municipalities, congressional districts, provincial planning and development offices, and selected private stakeholders/ associations in the region on Feb 19.
The participants were briefed on the specifications of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between the DTI and DPWH Secretaries on Nov. 26, 2016.
In the said MOA, ROLL IT aims to facilitate the efficient and more coordinated efforts among the two departments to identify, prioritize, and implement road access infrastructure leading to various industries and economic zones.
This partnership requires a technically-correct and politically-participative process with input and support from the business and civil society, as well as, local government units (LGUs).
ROLL IT has already lined up some 229 approved projects nationwide, with estimated number of 502.1 kilometers amounting to PHP 12.55 billion for 2018.
In Calabarzon, there are eight ROLL IT projects amounting to around PHP 480 million `in Dasmarinas City, Cavite; Cabuyao City, Laguna; and the towns of Lopez, Alabat, Guinayangan, Gumaca, Atimonan, and Tagkawayan in Quezon province.
A panel of representatives from the Board of Investments (BOI), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Calabarzon Regional Development Council (RDC), and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region 4-A addressed the participants’ concerns in drafting proposals for ROLL IT 2019.
ROLL IT is anchored and consistent with the President’s mandate, Ambisyon Natin 2040 through Executive Order 05, s. 2016 which envisions a predominantly middle-class society with enhanced standards of living and aims to eradicate hunger and poverty. (with reports from Mia Angeline V. Cortez, DTI4-A/PNA)
