Western Visayas Launches Road Safety Action Plan

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

Government agencies and private sector partners have launched the formulation of the Western Visayas Road Safety Action Plan (WVRSAP) 2026–2028, a region-specific initiative aimed at significantly improving road safety in Western Visayas.

The plan is a key component of the Ligtas na Kalsada for All (LinK4All) project, spearheaded by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Regional Office VI and supported through Regional Development Council (RDC) VI Resolution No. 08, Series of 2025.

Launched during the fifth meeting of the Technical Working Group for Sustainable Development Goals on Road Safety on May 14, the initiative brings together stakeholders from government, academia, youth groups, and business sectors.

“The initiative we have sponsored and shepherded represents a pioneering approach to road safety. It is the first comprehensive plan that acknowledges the unique context and challenges faced by our region,” said Director Juan Jovian E. Ingeniero, CESO III, of the Department of the Interior and Local Government VI and DAC-VI Chairperson.

The WVRSAP is being developed under a “glocal” approach, integrating global best practices with local realities, and aligning with the United Nations Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety and the national framework of the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan by the Department of Transportation.

“With strong collaboration from actors both from the private and public sector and the collective effort that road safety demands, the LinK4All project will go beyond being just a plan – I am confident it will produce tangible results,” said DEPDev VI Regional Director Engr. Arecio A. Casing, Jr., CESO III, who also serves as RDC VI Vice-Chairperson.

Two memoranda of understanding were also signed during the event — between DEPDev VI and the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WVCHD), and between DEPDev VI and the Iloilo Business Club, Inc. (IBC) — solidifying commitments across sectors.

Dr. May Ann Soliva-Sta. Lucia of DOH-WVCHD emphasized the agency’s long-standing role in road safety initiatives.

“Since 2014, we have been implementing an intensive and extensive program through policy formulation, trainings, orientation, simulation exercises, awareness campaign and sharing of best practices in global conferences,” she said.

“Our main focus for 2025–2028 is to enhance the skills and capabilities of the prehospital responders and hospital personnel through trauma care training,” she added, noting DOH’s critical post-crash response role.

IBC, the designated lead private sector partner, supports early-stage planning, capacity-building, and road safety awareness.

“[We] and the private sector community applaud this collaboration not only because transportation is a vital part of our daily grind, but strategic solutions to these challenges and implemented properly, save lives,” said IBC President Emil S. Diez.

LinK4All was initiated as a re-entry action plan by Engr. Ray Adrian C. Macalalag, an Australia Awards scholar who earned a Master of Transport degree from the University of Sydney. Macalalag is also a leadership board member of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety.

The WVRSAP will include sub-plans covering infrastructure, vehicle safety, land use and multimodal transport planning, safe road use behavior, and emergency response — all to be completed through 2026 with targeted implementation beginning in 2027.