Tacloban: The national government has allocated PHP1.68 billion for road projects leading to tourist destinations in Eastern Visayas the past three years, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Monday. Under the 2022 to 2024 allotment, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) implemented 70 road projects with a total road length of 47 kilometers through funds from the tourism department, DOT Eastern Visayas Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said in a phone interview.

According to Philippines News Agency, the majority of the projects under the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) are ongoing. "These are multiyear projects through allocations since the start of the Marcos administration. We need good roads. These are the last fine roads connecting to our tourism sites," Tiopes said.

Among the TRIP projects are an access road leading to Ulan-Ulan Falls in Almeria, Biliran; road to Amandaraga Falls in Lawaan, Eastern Samar; improvement of the road to Leyte Landing Memorial Park in Palo; access road to Calumpijan Island in Capoocan, Leyte; upgrading of the road leading to Lake Danao in Ormoc City, Leyte; road to Bay-sa-haas Nature Tourism Site in Inopacan, Leyte; Capul Circumferential Road in Northern Samar; access road to Pinipisakan Falls in Las Navas, Northern Samar; road leading to Bangon Falls in Calbayog City, Samar; Buri Island circumferential road in Catbalogan City, Samar; and Limasawa circumferential road in Southern Leyte.

"Most of these destinations are located in rural communities, which will not just boost tourism but also transport agricultural products to the town center," Tiopes added. Launched in 2012, TRIP is a convergence of DOT and the DPWH with three stages of prioritization criteria -- prequalification, prioritization, and readiness.

Under prequalification, priority for funding are projects with a development map located within 60 kilometers or less from a tourism gateway, a concept study, and a record of consultation with at least one stakeholder group endorsed by the Regional Development Council. The prioritization stage highly considers road projects with nearby accommodation facilities, pre-feasibility studies, preliminary engineering designs, and concept studies. This phase also considers tourist traffic situation.

A road project is considered ready for implementation if it is supported by technical road readiness documents to be evaluated and scored by the DPWH, and have undergone a series of consultations involving key stakeholders from the private and government sectors.