With the progress of the Metro Manila Subway Project, as well as other railway projects, President Marcos on Monday, July 22, said the Philippines is in a “railway renaissance” as he promised to resolve right-of-way issues to make these current developments operational.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Noel Pabalate/MANILA BULLETIN)
“We are also in the midst as well of a ‘railway renaissance,’” he said during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered before members of Congress, the diplomatic corps, and government officials at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
He touted the Metro Manila Subway Project for having “logged significant accomplishments in its tunneling works,” reporting that the current progress equals three to six storeys of depth.
“At tuloy-tuloy na umuusad sa susunod na istasyon (And this continues to the next station),” the Chief Executive added.
In March, the tunnel boring machine made its way into what will become the North EDSA station of the 33-kilometer Metro Manila Subway Project, which will run from Valenzuela to Parañaque.
It currently has 17 confirmed stations, with a branch line going to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The 17 stations are: East Valenzuela Station, Quirino Highway Station, Tandang Sora Station, North Avenue Station, Quezon Avenue Station, East Avenue Station, Anonas Station, Camp Aguinaldo Station, Ortigas Avenue Station, Shaw Boulevard Station, Kalayaan Avenue Station, BGC Station, Lawton Station, Senate-DepEd Station, NAIA Terminal 3 (branch line), FTI Station, and Bicutan Station.
In his SONA, Marcos also cited the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) and the North-South Commuter Railway, which are said “are likewise progressing.”
The President also assured that right-of-way issues will be resolved so the current infrastructure development will remain unhampered.
“We will make sure that the right of way issues are resolved in the most equitable, efficient, and expeditious manner, so that these will not get in the way of our infrastructure development,” he said.
The Chief Executive likewise took pride in the 12,000 kilometers of roads and more than 1,200 bridges that “have been built and upgraded across the country.”
In particular, his administration has provided the budget for the much-needed upgrade of some 367 bridges and 1,600 kilometers of roads along the Maharlika Highway, which stretches from Luzon to Mindanao.
Marcos added that he expects completion of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (C-LEX), the North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (NLEX-SLEX) Connector, and the Plaridel Bypass by the end of this year, and that the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) and the Circumferential Road 5 (C5) South Link will be “fully operational” by next year.
“Dahil sa mga mahahalagang daan na ito, ang Norte, Gitnang Luzon, Maynila, at Katimugang Luzon ay lalo pa ngayong magiging mas konektado sa isa’t isa (Because of these important roads, the North, Central Luzon, Manila, and South Luzon will be even more connected to each other),” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the President promised that the same efforts are being spent on improving the country’s airports and seaports.
With more than 70 airport and seaport development projects across the country already completed and 350 ongoing projects are to be completed by 2028, he said that the airport will soon “be capable of accommodating 48 flights per hour.”
This will service “our ever-increasing local and international flight routes, and catering to more than 62 million passengers every year.”
“Once considered among the worst and most stressful airports in the world, it will soon be a world-class international airport that we can all be proud of,” he said.
All these were possible because of the Congress, which made Public-Private Partnership (PPP), a crucial funding mechanism for big-ticket infrastructure projects, “institutionalized by force of law.”
“PPP is seen to facilitate strategic investments and the timely development of projects under our Build Better More program, especially since around one-fourth of our flagship projects have been envisioned to be funded through this modality,” Marcos said.
“As a perfect example, the NAIA PPP will go down in our history not only as among the largest and fastest approved PPP, but one that has set the bar in terms of openness, transparency, and competitiveness of the process,” he added.