THE LAUNCH of the Western Visayas Road Safety Action Plan (WVRSAP) 2026–2028, as recently reported by this paper, is a groundbreaking moment in the country’s pursuit of safer roads. As the first region-specific road safety blueprint in the Philippines, it is a long-overdue shift from blanket national directives to more nuanced, context-aware planning that takes into account the unique geography, traffic behavior, and infrastructure gaps of specific regions.
In our diverse archipelagic country, a one-size-fits-all approach to road safety simply no longer works — if it ever did. From the winding, flood-prone highways of Panay Island to the narrow, congested urban streets of Iloilo City and Bacolod, the risks and realities on the road vary immensely. What works for Metro Manila or Central Luzon may not be applicable — or even viable — for Western Visayas.
WVRSAP is a commendable attempt to localize the country’s commitment to the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety. Its focus on multimodal transport, safe road behavior, infrastructure safety, vehicle standards, and post-crash response reflects an understanding that road safety is about creating systems that prevent loss of life from all angles.
We applaud the involvement of multiple sectors — the Department of Health, the business community, youth coalitions, academic institutions, and local government units — all coming together under the Regional Development Council’s (RDC) umbrella. This cross-sectoral collaboration is essential for designing policies that are not only well-informed but also realistically implementable on the ground.
However, we must temper our enthusiasm with realism. The success of this plan will ultimately rest on how effectively it is implemented. Will local governments, many of which have limited resources and competing priorities, truly invest in making their roads safer? Will traffic laws be enforced consistently and fairly? Will budget allocations reflect road safety as a genuine priority?
Without mechanisms to ensure that targets are met and results are publicly reported, even the most well-crafted plans can falter. The RDC must lay out clear metrics and timelines while encouraging active citizen monitoring.
Western Visayas has taken a bold step in crafting a region-specific roadmap for road safety. It is a model that other regions should study — and ideally replicate. But for it to truly become a model worth emulating, it must deliver results beyond paper. Lives must be saved, injuries reduced, and public trust in our road systems restored.
Safer streets begin with smarter planning—and smarter planning begins when we listen to the needs of our regions.
