Project Information

The Provincial Roads Management Facility (PRMF or the Facility) is a 5-year AUD $100 million initiative of the governments of the Philippines and Australia. It is funded with a grant from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). The PRMF addresses poor conditions in provincial roads in seven provinces in Mindanao and the Visayas. The Facility strengthens institutional capacity within provincial governments to improve road sector planning, management and services required for a core network of provincial roads to be sustained in good condition. The expected long-term impact of the investment is increased economic growth and improved access to public infrastructure, services and employment in selected communities in the Southern Philippines.

The purpose of the CIME is twofold:
1. To generate findings and lessons on community impact so that PRMF stakeholders, including participating provincial governments, can better understand the nature and value of the benefits to rural communities of the investment in the provincial road network.
2. To strengthen the capacity of participating provincial governments and selected communities to monitor and evaluate road network development activities.

SDS CIME team carried out the following:

- Reviewed all relevant documents, including PRMF, provincial government and national government plans, strategies and reports, to understand the background and context for the assignment.

- Developed appropriate and effective impact M&E methods, approaches, and instruments.

- Carried out work planning for the community impact M&E

- Developed and implemented communication activities for the community impact M&E

- Developed and implemented capacity building activities for provincial governments

- Facilitated the provincial governments' engagement of community members in provincial M&E in the road sector

- Provided technical assistance in the integration of community impact methods and the use of impact data in provincial government M&E systems and decision-making in the road sector

- Carried out and/or facilitated impact monitoring and evaluation activities using the following M&E methods, approaches and instruments agreed to by PRMF and provincial governments
1. Journal keeping by community members and facility operators
2. Baseline survey of community members who are users of the roads
3. Conducted 21 Focus group discussions involving community members and facility operators
4. Completed key informant Interviews with national, provincial and local government leaders and staff
5. Conduct of public opinion surveys for around 700 respondents

- Prepared Provincial Impact Reports on community impact in each of the seven provinces

- Debriefed provincial and national governments as required on community impact

The CIME integrated the quantitative data on road use, such as traffic counts, from its spatial analysis of treatment communities using a Geographic Information System (GIS). These data helped provincial governments understand the physical characteristics impacting service accessibility.

The team also performed process evaluation by identifying the changes that took place in treatment communities that were attributable to the rehabilitation of roads. The team generated information about the conditions and characteristics of treatment and control communities. This type of community profile is necessary to understand the range of interacting factors influencing change in the community.