Palace hopes next admin finishes Metro Manila subway project

FILE: Scale model of the Metro Manila Subway System which is expected to have partial operations in 2022. (Photo by Aerol John B. Patena/PNA)

MANILA — Malacañang on Wednesday expressed hope that the next administration will ensure the completion of the Metro Manila subway project even after President Rodrigo R. Duterte steps down in 2022.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this remark as he hailed the groundbreaking of the country’s first underground railway system and vowed to monitor its progress.

“The Office of the President will be monitoring the progress of this project and commits its all-out support to the DOTr and all agencies involved as they endeavor to deliver this facility to our countrymen,” Panelo said in a statement.

“With this foundation, we request succeeding administrations to exert the same effort until the railway system is fully completed,” he added.

Panelo also appealed to Filipino commuters to have more patience and understanding until the railway system is expected to be fully operational in 2025.

“We also ask the public to remain patient as it is us who will greatly benefit from gains of this major infrastructure project in the near future,” Panelo said.

Meanwhile, Panelo hit critics and cynics for doubting the possibility of building a subway in Metro Manila.

“The critics say it can never be done.

The cynics say it is just a dream. We are pleased to announce today’s groundbreaking ceremony of the Metro Manila Subway,” Panelo said.

Citing the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Panelo said that once the railway system is serviceable, the riding public can travel from Quezon City to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in 30 minutes.

The railway system, which will run on a speed of 80kph, will have 15 stations from Quirino Highway in Quezon City to the NAIA in Parañaque City.

The partial operations of the subway’s first three stations–Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora and Mindanao Avenue— are expected to start in 2022.

It is expected to serve up to 370,000 passengers per day, with a capacity of serving up to 1.5 million passengers daily once it starts full operations.

On February 20, the DOTr signed the contract for the joint venture of Shimizu Corporation, Fujita Corporation, Takenaka Civil Engineering Co., Ltd., and with EEI Corporation for the design and build contract for the subway’s first three stations.