Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa attended the joint site inspection organized by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on November 19 in Davao City to witness the start of tunnel boring activity for the 2.3-kilometer twin tunnels of the Mindanaoan capital's bypass road.

DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado and Build, Build, Build (BBB) Chief Implementer Undersecretary Emil Sadain joined Ambassador Koshikawa and representatives of Japan's leading tunnel construction companies in surveying the site, as the drill machines began excavation for the country's first-ever long-distance mountain tunnel.