Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Wednesday lauded the Duterte government’s latest effort to upgrade public infrastructure saying it shows President Duterte’s commitment to provide commuters faster and efficient services.

Go praised the government’s efforts particularly during the ceremony that marked the rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 at the Shaw Boulevard Station in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday, March 22.

Go joined the President who led the unveiling of the marker of the project, which aims to give commuters faster, more efficient and more reliable rail services.

The rehabilitation phase of the project began in mid-2019 and was completed in late 2021. The P17.74-billion project was mainly funded by an Official Development Assistance (ODA) grant from the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which was signed in 2018.

Thanks to the rehabilitation, Go said, as train speeds can now reach up to 60 kilometers per hour (kph) from 25 kph while the interval between arrivals is reduced from eight to ten minutes to just four minutes.

The number of carriages per train unit has also been increased from 12-15 to 18-22 carriages.

“Dahil sa mga proyektong ito ng gobyerno, naisasakatuparan natin ang pangako ng Pangulo na mabigyan ng mas komportableng buhay ang mga Pilipino. Mababawasan ang hirap ng mga kababayan natin dahil mas mabilis at maayos na ang kanilang biyahe (Because of this project by the government, the President’s promise to give a more comfortable life for Filipinos have been actualized. It would now lessen the burden of our people because commuting would now be faster and efficient),” he said.

Go added that in order to sustain these gains amid the unprecedented challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, “all we need to do is to continue to enforce, implement and improve these projects for the benefit of the Filipino people.”

“Ramdam talaga ng ating mga kababayan ang ginhawa na dala ng mga bagong imprastrakturang ito (Our people would really feel the comfort brought by these new infrastructure),” added Go, who has supported numerous government projects as vice chair of the Senate Committee on Finance.

Moreover, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said that all elevators and escalators are operational and that unloading incidents have significantly decreased from a monthly average of 45 incidents from January 2016 – November 2017 to 1.6 incidents since May 2019.

Go also welcomed the President’s announcement that all MRT rides will be free from March 28 to April 30, 2022.

After the ceremony, the senator accompanied Duterte, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and other officials in a train ride from Shaw Boulevard Station to Santolan Station, and vice versa.

In his speech, Duterte reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring that key infrastructure investments would be kept to help spur the country’s economic recovery.

Likewise, the President, pledged to keep up the momentum so commuters can enjoy a better public transportation experience in the new normal.

“This project is part of this administration’s effort to improve connectivity and mobility which is critical in sustaining economic growth and development despite these challenging times. While we are steadfast in addressing the set-backs caused by COVID-19 pandemic, the government still strives to finish crucial projects like this,” Duterte said.

“As President, I recognize the deep need for urgent response to challenges that confront us daily. Hence, I am determined to help you selflessly and give myself unreserved to champion the best interests of everyone,” the President stressed.