Arturo Milan, head of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Mindanao (PCCCI-Mindanao) said all those who expressed interest to fund for the completion of the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) are “friends. “
This is in response to the offer made by United States (US) Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Loss Carlson, who was reported expressing support to various transport infrastructure projects in the country, with emphasis on providing assistance for the completion of the MRP.
In a Facebook post, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Carlson offered to provide technical assistance for implementing and developing the MRP in a meeting with DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista.
It also posted that the assistance, which will be coursed through the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), will encompass the early stage project preparation and development of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) structure, to facilitate increased private sector investment and participation.
“The Mindanao Railway Project is vital to the development of Mindanao. As such, it doesn’t matter who the funder of the Railway Project is, as those who expressed interest to fund the project are all our friends. We will always appreciate any expression of support but its up to the present administration to choose the best offer for the best interest of the Philippines and Mindanao,” Milan told Edge Davao.
According to Milan, what’s important for the Mindanaoans is to see this long time dream of having a mass transport system come to reality.
The project’s construction, which will be financed through an official development assistance package from the Chinese government, was first targeted to start in January 2019 with operations by 2021.
According to reports, in it’s revised indicative timeline as of Sept. 2021, construction work was expected to begin in April this year. The government expected to start partial operations in October 2022 and full operations in October 2023.
In August this year, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, expressed he wanted to make sure that the MRP is being done the right way.
Duterte, together with Benguet Rep. Eric Yap filed House Resolution (HR) No.286, which calls for a congressional investigation on the proposed MRP, specifically on the way the Department of Transportation (DOTr) carried out its right-of-way acquisitions and expropriation of private properties to be affected by the rail line.
Among the densely populated areas in Davao City to be traversed by the MRP include Barangay Catalunan Grande.
The Phase 1 of the MRP the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment (MRP TDD) is a 105-km line that is expected to reduce travel time from Davao del Norte to Davao del Sur from 3.5 hours to just 1.3 hours. It will have eight stations: Tagum, Carmen, Panabo, Mudiang, Davao Terminal, Toril, Sta. Cruz, and Digos. A 10-hectare depot will be built in Tagum City.
