Road Development Risks and Challenges in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

The Philippines, as a fast-growing country, has had the highest road infrastructure investment to date for the past five years compared to the previous years. The infrastructure programs of the government as a solution to decongest Metro Manila and develop the countryside for economic growth are promising yet result in various risks and challenges. This research presents the road development issues from multiple sources;primary data from interviews of stakeholders of road development, secondary data from online news articles, social network services, government issuance, policies, and related literature. The Philippines is in a dire economic situation due to the Covid-19 outbreak that resulted in the country's worst economic performance since the Asian financial crisis in 1998. The country's economic managers pinned high hopes on the government infrastructure programs as a vital strategy to help pump-prime the economy towards recovery due to its job generation and multiplier effects. Hence, it implicates enormous risks and challenges such as low tax revenues, the trade-off with more urgent Covid-19 response measures, foreign and private companies support, unsolicited project proposals, inequitable distribution of infrastructures, and delays in construction activities. Various road development stakeholders also mentioned the need for strict road regulations, urban and regional planning, aesthetic improvement, urban renewal in aid of car-centric infrastructures, and routine maintenance on-road sections. The data are structured in various categories such as public involvement, environmental preservation, public policy, project planning, road design, road safety, economic recovery, and construction time. Lastly, the implications for future research directions are discussed. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.