The regional offices of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) have identified the road access infrastructure projects as part of the Roads Leveraging Linkages of Industry and Trade (ROLL-IT) Program of the Philippines.
The projects were identified in the recently conducted regional orientation for ROLL-IT Program. The initiative aims to further the growth of investments and other economic activities in the country through more road projects that will lead to manufacturing hubs and economic zones.
DTI Calabarzon has been tasked to identify potential industry road projects using the Road Leveraging Linkages Evaluation Rating System (ROLLERS) based on importance, necessity, and implementability/readiness.
“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 Director Marilou Toledo said in a statement.
The two government agencies signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) November 2016 launching the ROLL-IT project, which focuses on road connectivity for industry and trade development. DPWH’s infrastructure programs will be coordinated and aligned with DTI’s programs, particularly regarding putting up new roads or widening existing ones that would lead to factories or manufacturing areas.
Under the agreement, DTI will identify areas where industry sectors need road facilities and connectivity.
For 2018, ROLL-IT has a total of 229 approved projects nationwide, estimated to have an aggregate length of 502.1 kilometers and an overall cost of P12.5 billion.
In Calabarzon, there are eight ROLL-IT projects costing P479 million altogether, located in Dasmarinas, Cavite; Cabuyao City, Laguna; Lopez, Quezon; Alabat, Quezon; Guinayangan, Quezon; Gumaca, Quezon; Atimonan, Quezon; and Tagkawayan, Quezon.
ROLL-IT, which is part of DPWH’s Convergence Program, is one of the identified platforms for the administration’s vision of a golden age of infrastructure in the Philippines, to be achieved by targeting a national infrastructure budget of 7% of the gross domestic product, or roughly equivalent to around P8.2 trillion.
The ROLL-IT Program is also seen to fuel the recent high growth of domestic investments as well as the surge in foreign direct investments in the country through more road projects funded within 2016-2022.
The goal of ROLL-IT is to prioritize infrastructure development in the country, levering on the success and experiences of the Convergence Program between DPWH and Department of Tourism that led to the upgrading of roads leading to tourist destinations.
DTI said that through better road infrastructure that connects industries, the country can realize industrial and regional development and accelerate the balanced development and dispersal of industries away from urban areas towards rural areas, thus creating more jobs and income opportunities for more Filipinos.
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