Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto pledged on Monday, Oct. 3, the local government’s full support for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), the first underground railway system in the country.
“Asahan po ninyo na ang lokal na pamahalaan ng Pasig ay nandito para suportahan ang programa, and we will do everything that we can (You can rely on the local government of Pasig to support this program, and we will do everything that we can),” Sotto said in his speech during the subway’s groundbreaking ceremony.
Sotto expressed the local government’s confidence in the “smooth-sailing” construction of the subway under the administration and leadership of President Marcos.
“I believe I speak for the city of Pasig and the citizens of Pasig when I say that we have been really looking forward to this. We are more than happy and excited na meron pong dalawang estasyon na nandito po sa lungsod ng Pasig – Ortigas North and Ortigas South (We are more than happy and excited that there will be two stations here in Pasig City),” Sotto said.
“We look forward to the day when we will be able to walk to the subway station and ride a subway going to the airport, Commonwealth, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), and many more places),” he added.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard stations of the MMSP was held at the Metrowalk Commercial Compound in Pasig City on Monday, Oct. 3.
It was led by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. He was joined by Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Takema Sakamoto among others.
Other witnesses at the ceremony were officials from the national government, affiliated non-government organizations, and the private sector.
Hailed as thecountry’s most “ambitious” and largest infrastructure project, the MMSP is funded by JICA in cooperation with the DOT. It will be constructed by contractor, Tokyu-Tobishima Megawide Joint Venture (TTM-JV), through a P17.75 billion contract.
The construction will take up around five to six years, the DOTr said.
The north and southbound portions of Meralco Avenue in Pasig City will be closed for six years, starting on Oct. 3, 2022 until the year 2028.
The local government and the DOTr have released traffic schemes relaying the alternate routes vehicles and motorists may take during this period.
Sotto said they expect heavier traffic in their city, especially since Pasig is the “eastern corridor” of Metro Manila.
“‘Yung iba medyo kinakabahan po sa traffic dahil sa pagsara ng Meralco Avenue pero it naman po ay panandaliang sakripisyo para sa mas maliwanag na kinabukasan. Konting sakripisyo po ngayon para kaginhawaan pagdating ng bukas (Some are a little worried about the traffic because of the closure of Meralco Avenue, but this is a short-term sacrifice for a brighter future for us. A bit of sacrifice for now to achieve a more convenient and comfortable future),” Sotto said.