| Overview : TECHNICAL ADVISER FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE ROLL-ON/ROLL-OFF TERMINAL SYSTEM (RRTS) / STRONG REPUBLIC NATIONAL HIGHWAY (SRNH) Project Title Using Strategic Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) to Accelerate the Implementation of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 (Strategic M&E Project; 00103908 / 00105719) Background and Rationale The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines have embarked on a partnership to strengthen the conduct of evaluations of priority government programs under the PDP. Financed by the NEDA and implemented with full UNDP Country Office support, the Strategic M&E Project will help strengthen the M&E capacities of NEDA and key government agencies to support the achievement of the PDP and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through evidence-based decision making. A key component of the project is the commissioning of independent evaluations on key themes and programs relevant to the PDP and the SDGs. These studies will evaluate the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of priority social and economic programs that have been implemented or are being implemented by the government. The results of the evaluation studies are envisaged to inform how policies and programs are designed and implemented to achieve the desired results of the PDP and contribute to strengthening the government’s M&E systems. One of these evaluations is on the implementation of the Roll-on/Roll-off Terminal System (RRTS). The Government of the Philippines (GOP) enacted a policy to promote the development of RRTS through Executive Order No. 170 and 170 – A, Series of 2003 and Executive Order No. 170 – B, Series of 2005. The RRTS was envisioned to become a network of highway and vehicular ferry routes that form the backbone of a nationwide transport system. It was aimed to reduce the transport costs, particularly the inter-island transportation from Mindanao to Luzon through the Visayas. The use of roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels was also seen as a more efficient and cost-effective system for transporting goods and people as compared to the traditional load-on/load-off system. Through the promotion of the nautical highway system via RoRo, the government sought to enhance tourism and commerce; help boost agro-fisheries modernization and food security programs; and, promote private sector participation in the establishment, construction, and operation of the RRTS facilities. The Strong Republic National Highway (SRNH) network was established through the development of the three (3) nautical highways and the lateral links between ports in the Eastern and Western nautical highways. After the initiatives of the Arroyo administration, the succeeding administrations sustained and built on the SRNH. The Aquino administration sought to further develop the Central Nautical Highway or Central RoRo Spine. It likewise explored the possible expansion and connection into an Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) RoRo network as a flagship program in the ASEAN Connectivity Masterplan (PDP 2011-2016). As the Duterte administration capitalizes on infrastructure to achieve sustainable development, it continues to see the strengthening of the RoRo network as a priority under the 2017-2022 PDP and the annual Budget Priorities Framework. An independent evaluation is necessary to gain an objective view of the implementation by national government agencies (NGAs) and the local government units (LGUs) of the RRTS. NEDA, through UNDP, is commissioning such an evaluation. It will make use of a mixture of appropriate methodologies, including the analysis of available data and primary data collected in the field for the development of case studies of how local economies have benefitted from or been affected by the RRTS. UNDP requires the services of a Technical Adviser who will provide strategic guidance on the design, methodology, data gathering and analysis tools, and other considerations for the evaluation of RRTS. The Technical Adviser will closely collaborate with Firms—including but not limited to consulting companies, academic institutions, non-profit research outfits, etc.—tapped by UNDP for the methodology design, data gathering, case study formulation, and analysis and evaluation. The Technical Adviser will also be tasked to consolidate and synthesize the results of the evaluation phases as conducted by the Firms. The Technical Adviser will also be providing advice and assistance to the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) for the study, which is chaired by the NEDA and composed of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), and UNDP. Such ERG will provide direction and input to the design and conduct of the study as implemented by the Firms. Objectives of the Evaluation The overarching purpose of the evaluation is to assess the RRTS policy against its broad set of goals: increase in tourism, trade, agricultural productivity, and employment (including labor migration). Also, it aims to explore the contributions of the policy to the achievement of these goals on two levels: local and national. The study will also have two (2) phases: Western Nautical Highway for Phase 1, while Luzon and Mindanao-based RoRo ports will be considered for Phase 2. This is to ensure a nationwide and comprehensive assessment of the RRTS. Specifically, at the local level and for Phase 1, six (6) case studies will be produced in ports located at the Western Visayas Nautical Highway. Although existing studies by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have already explored the overall impact on education, income, and health of areas covered by the RRTS, this evaluation will provide more granularity to the effects of the RRTs and explore unintended consequences, port operations, regional contributions of the RRTS, extent of local implementation and compliance of the RRTs, and integration to the Philippines. At the national level, the evaluation study will specifically assess the extent by which the RRTS can be integrated to the current infrastructure development trends of the country and explore potential regulatory improvements and harmonization. This two-tier method of analysis, will surface issues at the local level that needs attention at the national level and issues, which emanate at the national level, which affect the local level. Moreover, it will also guide economic managers on how to best optimize these results and enhance the investment infrastructure of the RRTs. The evaluation will also assess the efficiency of national and local port operations. To also ensure the validity of further developing RoRo ports and routes, a framework or tool for cost-benefit analysis will be developed to assist in better identifying locations of future ports and routes. | 
