The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Thursday that the agency is still on-track with the timeline for the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP).
DOTr assistant secretary for project development – Mindanao cluster Eymard Eje said in a phone interview that they are currently working out the re-alignment of the path for the first phase of the MRP which is the Tagum-Davao-Digos (TDD) Railway Project worth P126-billion.
Eje said that the agency is settling some issues in the Right of Way (ROW) acquisition which has been derailed with some complaints coming from Davao City establishments, companies and residents affected by the railway project.
“We are working on this right now because we wanted to lessen the impact of the realignment,” he said.
Among the areas that are undergoing re-alignment are the areas of South Pacific Golf Course in Talomo, Monteritz Subdivision in Ma-a, and HolcimPhilippines Davao Plant in Bunawan.
TDD will have stations in Tagum City, Carmen, PanaboCity, Tibungco, Ma-a Diversion (near Davao Christian High School), Toril (infront of Gaisano Mall), Sta. Cruz and then Digos City.
The DOTr official clarified that the ROW acquisition will not delay further the implementation of the project although there has been no schedule yet for the project’s groundbreaking. He said that the first phase of the project will commence this year.
Recently, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA)Secretary Datu Abul Khayr Alonto aired his concerns over the progress of the project under the DOTr.
Alonto went further as to propose to President Rodrigo Duterte to transfer the project implementation of all the phases of the MRP to MinDA as he believed that their agency can fast track the project implementation.
He said that the snail’s pace progress of the project managed by the DOTr is not acceptable considering that the project would take two years to be fully accomplished.
The MinDA head said that he is pressured with President’s marching orders to fully implement the project by 2022.
Eje, on the other hand, said that the agency understands Alonto’s sentiment.
However, he said that it is impossible for the project implementation to be transferred from DOTr to MinDA.
“I’m not sure if that would be possible, since all transportation projects are under the supervision of the DOTr,” Eje said adding that the budget to be allocated by transportation-related projects are also under their supervision.
Eje also guaranteed that the train for the MRP will be electrified two-track train, contrary to the old proposal of a fuel-operated single-track railway, which Sec. Alonto had strongly opposed.
He said that the DOTr is just awaiting for the approval of the project from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) before it will officially kick off.
