The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) wants to expedite the long-delayed Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) Phase 1 through immediate payment of settlement to landowners affected by Right-of-Way (ROW) issues of the P81.6-billion rail line in southern Mindanao.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier directed the DOTr to accelerate land acquisition for the railway. Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said they are in the process of completing other procedures to be able to start project implementation.
“We are speeding up the procedures. But we need to go through the right process,” Lopez said. “The Mindanao Railway has been delayed for a long time. It is a big deal for the connectivity and mobility of southern Mindanao residents,” he said.
The 100.2-kilometer Phase 1 will consist of eight stations, accommodating as many as 122,000 passengers daily and reducing travel time from Tagum City to Digos City from three hours to an hour.
Figures from DOTr showed that as of Nov. 26, at least 3,291 (92%) of the 3,548 land parcels needed across Davao, Panabo, Tagum, Carmen, Santa Cruz and Digos have been served a notice of taking. Of the total parcels, 1,105 offers to buy have been accepted and 381 landowners signed the deed of sale.
DOTr said it is updating the project’s feasibility study to ensure its viability and sustainability. The funding for the land acquisition is already in place.
Lopez thanked local governments who helped in accelerating the projects.
Once the 1,544-kilometer Mindanao Rail Line becomes operational, the rail system will connect Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Butuan, Surigao, and Malaybalay, boosting Mindanao’s economy.