DOTr: Japan to continue assistance to Philippine railway operators

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will continue its technical assistance to the Philippines’ railway operators to ensure the quality operation of the country’s train systems, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the DOTr said they signed the Records of Discussion with JICA on Monday to extend the Philippine Railways Institute Technical Assistance (PRI-TA) Project.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the Japan government’s assistance to PRI will continue the “effective transfer of technical expertise to best operate the country’s railway system.”

“The contract we earlier signed to extend the technical assistance Japan is providing to our Philippine Railways Institute will ensure the level of technical expertise of our railway operators will be raised to global standards,” he said during the ceremonial signing.

“If we are to succeed at completing these big-ticket projects, especially our rail systems, we need the support of our Japanese experts to ensure our train systems are operated by the best qualified and highly trained Filipino professionals,” he added.

For his part, JICA Philippine Office Chief Representative Sakamoto Takema pointed out how the collaboration could result in a better railway system in the Philippines.

“There is no doubt that the participation of reliable operators is very critical for the safe, reliable, and sustainable operation and maintenance of railways,” he said.

JICA’s technical assistance to the Philippines will be for the development of various policies, laws and regulations, provision of curriculum and trainings by Japanese railway experts to the PRI, and the conduct of a survey for research and development for human resource development.

The DOTr said the first batch of 19 PRI instructors is already in Tokyo, Japan to train on capacity development on operations and maintenance practice and training. —Giselle Ombay/KG, GMA News