News & Updates

Aligned with the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) commitment to ensuring a complete, accurate, and comprehensive inventory of local roads and bridges nationwide, the DILG Region VIII, through the Project Development and Management Unit (PDMU), successfully conducted the Batch 3 Training on Local Roads and Bridges Inventory of Local Government Units (LGUs) in Region VIII on August 18–20, 2026.
The three-day training brought together representatives from 35 LGUs from the provinces of Eastern Samar, Biliran, and Leyte, equipping participants with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to undertake the inventory of local roads and bridges within their respective jurisdictions through the Local Roads and Bridge Inventory System.
The activity aims to strengthen the capacity of LGUs in systematically gathering, validating, and maintaining reliable roads and bridge inventory data. These data will serve as an important reference in local infrastructure planning, monitoring, management, and decision-making.
Through this initiative, the DILG Region VIII continues to support LGUs in strengthening local infrastructure governance and ensuring that road and bridge information is readily available, accurate, and responsive to the infrastructure needs of their communities.
The Local Roads and Bridges Inventory, of the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Office of Project Development Services, is part of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) System of Designated Statistics. This affirms the Inventory as an official statistical data within the Philippine Statistical System, ensuring that the data it provides are reliable, standardized, and integral to national and local development planning.
Five batches of the training are set to be conducted in Region VIII for Engineer-in-Charge of the Local Road and Bridge Inventory, the designated RBIS Encoder and Supervisor account holders. The last two batches of the training are targeted to be conduced on September 2026 to cover the remaining 73 untrained LGUs in the region.

In a significant move to advance disaster-resilient infrastructure in Eastern Visayas, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region VIII, through its Project Development and Management Unit (PDMU), conducted the Second Batch of the Capacity Building on Infrastructure Audit and the Harmonized Infrastructure Audit Tool in Tacloban City.
The activity gathered engineers, planners, and technical personnel from 71 local government units (LGUs) across the region, along with representatives from 16 partner agencies, higher education institutions, and private engineering organizations.
The training forms part of DILG Region VIII’s continuing efforts to enhance the capability of LGUs and partner institutions to conduct systematic infrastructure audits and effectively apply the Harmonized Infrastructure Audit Tool in actual field settings. More than a technical exercise, the initiative underscores that infrastructure resilience is not merely a timely concern but a critical necessity for Eastern Visayas, a region highly vulnerable to natural hazards because of its geographic location.
Serving as resource speakers for the activity were Engr. Lucy D. Francisco of Catbalogan City, Engr. Gabino C. Hilvano of Eastern Visayas State University, and Engr. Fatima Joy Catudio of Borongan, Eastern Samar.
Participants included Municipal Engineers, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (MPDCs), and Engineering Officers from all LGUs in Samar, Northern Samar, and Biliran, as well as selected LGUs from Eastern Samar and Leyte. Also participating were members of the DILG Local Infrastructure Audit Team and representatives from the Provincial Local Infrastructure Learning Hubs (LIL Hubs). The broad participation reflects the region’s collective commitment to building safer, stronger, and more resilient communities.
The activity also highlighted strong collaboration among government agencies, academe, and professional organizations. Participating LIL Hub partners included the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineering Offices, Department of Education (DepEd) Division Offices, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), Biliran Province State University (BiPSU), and Samar State University (SSU).
To reinforce practical learning, the training includes actual simulation exercises in a selected school in Tacloban City, where participants will apply the Harmonized Infrastructure Audit Tool in a realistic environment. The hands-on component is expected to deepen participants’ understanding of infrastructure assessment, risk identification, and resilience-based recommendations.
This second batch builds on the momentum of the first batch conducted in July 2026, which was attended by LGUs from Leyte and Southern Leyte, including the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc.