Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto (Senate PRIB)

Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel has urged the Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto to visit Japan and seek funding for the long-delayed Mindanao Railway Project (MRP).

“We would urge the Finance Secretary to consider visiting Tokyo, for the purpose of seeking additional official development assistance (ODA) from Japan, this time for the MRP,” Pimentel said in a statement over the weekend.

Pimentel says the Japanese government may consider funding the MRP, given that they are “very interested in promoting peace and development in Mindanao”. 

He recalled that, during a historic address at a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate last year, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio emphasized Mindanao’s importance in Japan’s vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.

Currently, Japan is funding big-ticket railway projects in Luzon. 

One of these is the Metro Manila Subway Project, which is estimated to have a total cost of P488.5 billion. P370.7 billion of this will be financed through an official development assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 

“We do not want Mindanao to be left behind in the government’s railway infrastructure development plan,” Pimentel said.

“The MRP will surely drive Mindanao’s economic and jobs growth in a big way. The project will help fight unemployment and poverty—conditions that have bred instability,” he explained.

The project has long been stalled after the Philippine government backed out from its loan negotiations with China.

Before it was postponed, the MRP Phase 1 was estimated to cost about P83 billion.

In his statement, Pimentel urged the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) to fast-track its revision of the estimated cost.

Based on its initial design, Phase 1 involves the construction of a 102-kilometer train line linking Tagum City, Davao del Norte with Digos City, Davao del Sur. It is expected to cut the travel time between the two cities from the usual three hours to just one hour.

For its first year of operations, the rail line is projected to move about 122,000 commuters every day.

The entire MRP will eventually consist of a 1,544-kilometer railway stretching out to the cities of General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Butuan, Surigao, and Malaybalay.