LAGUINDINGAN, Misamis Oriental – The feasibility study for the Mindanao Railway Project-Phase 3 is under way after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the joint venture of an Indian consulting company and a law firm signed a consultancy contract on Sunday, February 4.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista and a high-ranking official of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP sign a consultancy contract on February 4 for the feasibility study for the Mindanao Railway Project-Phase 3. (Photo courtesy of Cagayan de Oro City Vice Mayor Jocelyn Rodriguez’s Facebook page)
The 54.8-kilometer-long railway project, the very first in Northern Mindanao, shall provide passenger and freight railway services between Laguindingan Airport, Cagayan de Oro City, and the municipality of Villanueva in Misamis Oriental.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said they are eagerly awaiting the completion of the feasibility study by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP to be able to determine how best to construct the project that will provide fast, efficient, and reliable public transport.
“It will form part of the trust to promote connectivity and mobility, especially in Mindanao,” Bautista said.
GUEST of honor DOTR Secretary Jaime Bautista delivers a speech during the groundbreaking of the Laguindingan Airport Expansion Project on February 4. (Franck Dick Rosete)
The Mindanao Railway Project-Phase 3 is one of the 74 infrastructure flagship projects of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. under a public-private partnership scheme.
The DOTr on Sunday also conducted the groundbreaking ceremony for the Laguindingan Airport Expansion Project that will expand the airport’s pre-departure area and increase its passenger capacity needed for the plan to convert it into an international airport.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/4/conversion-of-laguindingan-airport-eyed-in-2025
DOTr Assistant Secretary for Planning and Project Development Leonel Cray de Velez said the feasibility study will be submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for approval. After NEDA’s approval, the project will now be subjected to bidding for a contractor.
The project’s Phases 1 and 2 will be established in the Davao region and General Santos City, respectively.
Misamis Oriental Gov. Peter Unabia sought support from local government units on the railway project, particularly on the procurement of the land or the right of way.
Unabia urged Cagayan de Oro City Administrator Roy Hilario Raagas to review the law on expropriation as it is a possible major problem of the project.
“…because in my perspective, that is really a problem. The right of way, the implementation of the national projects, the roads, the irrigation, and all, are a bit delayed because of the right of way,” Unabia said.
The city government of Cagayan de Oro created a Technical Working Committee (TWC) last year to work with foreign developers as part of the focal areas of the Mindanao Railway Project in the region.
The groundbreaking of the Laguindingan Airport Expansion Project and the Sectoral Town Hall Meeting for the Mindanao Railway Project-Phase 3 served as the opening salvo for DOTr’s 125th founding anniversary.