The government is close to completing right-of-way (ROW) acquisitions for the long-delayed Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), with just over nine percent of the required properties to be finalized this year.

As of December 2025, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it has acquired 90.76 percent of the ROW for the MMSP, which will be the country’s first underground rail system.

This was a major turnaround for the DOTr after ROW acquisition was only at 51 percent in February of the same year, or during the time of then-transport chief Jaime Bautista.

Under former DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon and incumbent Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, the agency ramped up efforts to address major issues in acquiring properties for the railway.

In particular, the DOTr previously struggled to obtain ROW along business districts and exclusive villages, such as Varilla Properties, White Plains, Corinthian Gardens, and Metrowalk.

These issues have since been resolved, leaving 9.24 percent of ROW scattered across different segments of the 33-kilometer rail line requiring the government's attention.

Earlier, Lopez said the DOTr plans to complete the ROW for the project by the second quarter of the year.

The government was able to complete acquisitions more quickly by establishing a standalone office for the Right-of-Way and Site Acquisition (ROWSA) within the DOTr.

From just around 200 ROWSA personnel, the workforce has since expanded to 900 to further expedite the acquisition process.

The DOTr also sealed a partnership with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to resolve ROW issues, while holding capacity-building and training programs to further enhance its workforce.

Apart from the MMSP, the DOTr has also been focused on acquiring ROW for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), particularly in its northern segment.

From 38 parcels or a mere two percent of land acquisition in February 2025, the DOTr has now acquired 1,143 parcels or 56 percent of ROW by the end of last year.

“2025 was truly a banner year for our ROW as we accelerated land acquisition so commuters could immediately benefit from the subway and NSCR,” Lopez said.

Based on the current progress for the north segment, Lopez said the government can complete ROW acquisition by the middle of the year.

For the southern segment, the DOTr has now cleared four out of 19 ROW acquisitions for NSCR stations. In particular, the required properties at EDSA, Cabuyao, Sta. Rosa, and Banlic have since been turned over to the government.

The government is planning to start partial operations of at least two MMSP stations by 2028, while the partial operations of the NSCR’s Valenzuela-to-Malolos segment are set to start in December 2027.