President Marcos has supported the old process of addressing right-of-way (ROW) issues to speed up the completion of major infrastructure projects in the country.

In a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council-Infrastructure Sector Group (PSAC-ISG) in Malacañan on Wednesday, June 5, Marcos said legislators agreed to bring back the old process.

The old process was to secure the writ of possession after making a 15 percent initial payment for the property affected by the ROW process.

"I spoke to the Solicitor General about it. I spoke to the House Speaker and the Senate President and I said there is a bill. There's a house bill that’s going through the process that wants to amend the right-of-way process," he said.

"What we suggest, ibalik niyo na lang sa dati (just bring back the old one). After you pay 15 percent, turnover na. If you want to argue about valuation, whatever it is, then go ahead. But the project can already begin. So, they’ve (legislators) agreed to that," he added.

Marcos said the executive branch will draft an accompanying bill for the Senate to file when deliberations resume. This could be the basis for the final draft that will come out in Congress.

According to the President, the old system is reasonable at 15 percent upfront payment before land turnover. Owners can take any legal action they want if they feel they deserve it.

Rogelio Singson, a member of the PSAC-ISG, told the President the issue was the actual process, not the cost as the government is offering market price.

"As you said, you just need the deposit and then go to the expropriation, let the courts decide how much will be the eventual cost, but the writ of possession has to be issued,” Singson said.

"Because Mr. President once the writ of possession is issued by the court, then the project can already proceed," he added.

The PSAC has recommended creating a dedicated ROW Technical Working Group (TWG) similar to the Inter-Agency Committee for ROW for national railway projects involving critical agencies to streamline the acquisition of ROW for key Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs) such as toll roads, airports, and seaports.

Some of the key IFPs of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) encountering ROW issues are:
 

• Cagayan de Oro Diversion Road Extension (Junction Sayre Highway-Manolo Fortich-Malitbog-Claveria-Eureka, Gingoog City Road)
• Davao City Bypass Construction Project
• Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge
• LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project
• EDSA Greenways Project