Infrastructure development is not only about concrete and steel. For nation-builders, it must be about connecting lives, enabling opportunities, and shaping a more resilient future. Being part of the team working on the updates for the region’s development plan, it was inspiring to meet the people behind key infrastructure projects in the region over the past months. I understood why one thing works over the other, and in a collaborative way, I also put forward recommendations on what can be done.

The updated Western Visayas Regional Development Plan released by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development VI has set the course for expanding and upgrading infrastructure so that growth is inclusive and sustainable, now on the second half of the plan’s implementation.

The first half of the plan has already delivered meaningful progress. Thirty-one flagship projects worth more than PHP1.23 trillion are in the pipeline, covering transport, water, digital connectivity, and social infrastructure. Roads and bridges have been rehabilitated, with more than 355 kilometers of national roads maintained and 54 bridges repaired in 2023 and 2024. The Boracay Circumferential Road is on track for completion by 2027, while the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) Phase II is also expected to be finished within the plan period.

Airports and seaports are undergoing transformation. Iloilo International Airport has surpassed passenger and cargo targets, regaining its role as a strategic hub for both domestic and international flights. The Iloilo International Container Port is being modernized through a public-private partnership, positioning the region as a logistics gateway. Digital connectivity has expanded, with the Iloilo Government Network linking 62 government offices through fiber optic infrastructure. Irrigation projects, including small reservoir systems, are advancing to support farmers and strengthen food security.

These accomplishments highlight three important lessons. First, integration matters. Roads must connect to ports, irrigation must support food production, and digital networks must empower education and governance. Second, resilience is essential. Every structure must be designed with climate and disaster risks in mind. Third, partnerships accelerate progress. Private sector involvement in port modernization and digital expansion shows how collaboration can multiply impact.

As engineers, we are trained to solve problems and build with precision. But our role is also to be visionaries who see not only what is, but what can be.

Transformative projects such as the Iloilo-Capiz-Aklan Expressway, the Panay River Basin Integrated Development Project, and the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Inter-Island Link Bridge will extend beyond 2028, but their groundwork must be firmly established now. We must expand irrigation coverage to secure food production, achieve universal access to safe water and sanitation, and modernize airports and seaports to anchor Western Visayas as a logistics hub. Digital inclusion must reach every school and barangay, ensuring no community is left behind.

To sustain momentum, four priorities stand out. First, connectivity must be expanded through inclusive national highway networks and inter-island bridges, while ensuring road safety and active transport are part of every design. Second, water security must be strengthened by completing JRMP II, advancing the Panay River Basin project, and expanding small reservoir systems. Third, digital transformation must continue by scaling up broadband rollout and ensuring digital literacy reaches rural communities. Fourth, social infrastructure must be modernized, from classrooms and hospitals to waste management facilities. Legislative reforms on right-of-way efficiency, sustainable transport, and water governance will provide the policy backbone for these ambitions.

As engineers, we are trained to solve problems and build with precision. But our role is also to be visionaries who see not only what is, but what can be. The bridges we design today will connect not only islands, but generations. The irrigation systems we complete will nourish not only crops, but communities. The classrooms and hospitals we build will shape not only lives, but futures. This next half of the RDP’s implementation will require planners, architects, and engineers, lots of them. It is an opportunity to showcase integrity and professionalism by ensuring every infrastructure project remains on track and is completed within target dates. Western Visayas stands at the threshold of transformation. The next three years are decisive. If we build with courage, innovate with resilience, and collaborate with inclusivity, we will leave behind more than infrastructure. We will leave behind a legacy of hope, progress, and shared prosperity for all.

Photo courtesy of DPWH