Philippines considers PPP funding for ₱80 billion in farm roads
The proposed projects would be additional to the ₱33 billion allocated for farm-to-market roads under the agriculture department’s 2026 budget.
The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture is considering public-private partnerships for about ₱80 billion in farm-to-market road projects, with the aim of speeding up construction in rural communities.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the department was seeking help from the World Bank and the International Finance Corp. to design a nationwide PPP framework for the roads. Under the arrangement he described, eligible companies would finance construction and the government would repay them over several years.
Tiu Laurel said private financing could accelerate road delivery, particularly in high-poverty areas where farmers struggle to transport their produce. He said better access could help reduce poverty.
The proposed PPP projects would supplement the ₱33 billion provided for farm roads in the department’s 2026 budget. The agency aims to build 2,300 kilometres through 1,605 projects in 2026, with construction on that year’s budget-funded projects likely to start by December, he said.
Bidding has been delayed as responsibility for building and implementing the projects shifted from the Department of Public Works and Highways to the agriculture department.
For 2027, the department received a ₱16 billion farm-road budget. Tiu Laurel had previously said that allocation was insufficient for its target of 55,000 kilometres.
