Marcos witnesses North-South rail deal signing

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos vowed yesterday to ensure consistency of policy and ease of doing business as he witnessed the signing of two contract packages for the south commuter section of the North-South Commuter Railway System.

In a speech delivered after the signing ceremony, Marcos promised to build on the accomplishments of his predecessors, noting that investors are seeking consistency in the implementation of policies and programs.

“Building on these strategic and progressive accomplishments, this administration shall commit consistency of policy and program implementation,” the President said.

“It is an issue that has been raised by many investors, by many of the proposals that we have been receiving and that is why we have focused our attention in making sure that the ease of doing business... together with these partnerships, both with financial institutions, G2G (government-to-government) arrangements, PPP (public-private partnership) arrangements, are streamlined,” he added.

The North-South Commuter Railway System is composed of three segments, namely Malolos-Clark, Tutuban-Malolos and Solis-Calamba. It will ultimately traverse the provinces of Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan and Laguna. The system is expected to benefit up to 800,000 passengers daily and will cut travel time from Clark to Calamba from four hours to one hour and 45 minutes.

Signed during yesterday’s ceremony were contract packages S-02 and S-03 of the system’s South Commuter Railway Project. Package S-02 consists of 7.9 kilometers of railway viaduct structure including three elevated stations in España, Sta. Mesa and Paco. It has been awarded to the joint venture of Acciona Construction Philippines Inc. and D.M. Consunji Inc. with a total contract amount of nearly P28.3 billion.

Package S-03, meanwhile, involves civil engineering, tunnel and building works for approximately 6.1 kilometers of railway with 4.7 kilometers of underground railway and 1.4 kilometers of at-grade railway, including Food Terminal Inc. station and tunneling works to connect to the Metro Manila Subway Project Senate Station.

The contract costs P23.92 billion and has been awarded to the joint venture of Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited and First Balfour Inc. Construction works for the two packages are expected to start on or before the fourth quarter of this year.

Marcos said the contract signing would pave the way for the beginning of the construction of the South Commuter Section and put all phases of the North-South Commuter Railway System in full swing.

Manila-Laguna link

The contract packages constitute some 14-kilometer stretch of the South Commuter Railway Project running through Metro Manila. The project will link Manila to Laguna, rounding out the southern leg of the railway system.

“As the civil works for these contract packages commence, we expect not only the generation of more than 2,000 jobs, but also the creation of other opportunities and livelihood during its construction,” Marcos said.

“Most importantly, the completion of the full NSCR (North-South Commuter Railway System) line will bring greater convenience for our commuters. It will offer an efficient and comfortable transport alternative that spans (a) great distance, connecting Pampanga to Manila and then to Laguna,” he added.

Marcos said the project would also decongest the country’s main thoroughfares, especially within Metro Manila, and provide commuters faster travel times.

“This is something that I still marvel at because in my lifetime, we have never seen that,” the President said.

The railway system, Marcos added, would also spur economic activities in the interconnected regions and in all the areas and promote environmental sustainability and public health.

Marcos thanked the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, describing them as “the country’s active and consistent partners in infrastructure development for many, many, many years now.”