Marcos forms body to expedite railway projects

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has formed an inter-agency body aimed at accelerating the government’s railway projects, including efficiently resolving right-of-way (ROW) issues.

The Inter-Agency Committee for Right-of-Way Activities for National Railway Projects was created through Administrative Order 19, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on March 25.

The committee, to be chaired by the Department of Transportation, is tasked to study and come up with an efficient and collaborative mechanism to streamline the process of land acquisition for all railway projects in the country.

Marcos said issues concerning land acquisition as well as resettlement activities for project-affected persons (PAPs) have adversely affected the timeline for the implementation of railway projects.

“There is a need to constitute an inter-agency committee for ROW activities to accelerate the implementation of railway projects and ensure high-level cooperation and support from concerned government agencies to streamline the process of land acquisition and delivery of services to PAPs,” the President said.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development will serve as co-chair of the committee, while the departments of the interior and local government; social welfare and development; environment and natural resources; finance; budget and management; justice; and Office of the Solicitor General will serve as members.

Among the committee’s powers and functions include coordinating the implementation of railway policies and projects, crafting and approving project-specific policies and programs, and identifying the appropriate services or programs concerning land acquisition and other ROW activities, such as livelihood, income restoration, and resettlement.

The body will also identify effective existing policies, agreements, contracts, and other similar arrangements between and among government agencies, consolidate and mobilize agency resources to streamline budgeting, deliberate and resolve issues, grievance and create technical working groups to implement the order.