Maharlika part of Asian Highway

MANILA, Philippines – The 3,517-kilometer Daang Maharlika Highway that stretches from Laoag City in Ilocos Norte to Zamboanga City in Mindanao has been designated part of the United Nations’ Asian Highway (AH) Network.

The AH Network was conceived by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as a coordinated development and upgrading of existing regional highway systems among member-countries with the aim of promoting trade and tourism in Asia.

Since the Philippines is one of the 32 member countries of ESCAP, the Daang Maharlika Highway has been assigned the AH Network route number AH26, and is one of the major route links connecting seaports and cities in the country.

In its bid to promote trade and tourism in Asia, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to install route markers and directional signs along the Daang Maharlika Highway.

DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said, “The installation of these vital signs and markers is in compliance with the Philippines’ commitment to the UN-ESCAP to promote trade, international as well as local tourism.”