Duterte admin to break ground for P51-B Metro Manila Subway on Dec. 19

The Duterte administration’s Metro Manila Subway project is finally set to break ground by mid-December, months after the Philippine and Japan governments signed the loan agreement.

The Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) slide presentations distributed to the media during a news forum in Pasay City on Wednesday showed the groundbreaking for the project has been set for Dec. 19, 2018.

“‘Yung date napagkasunduan na po ‘yan, at talagang gusto na ho namin mag groundbreaking sa Disyembre—eto ho ‘yung target namin,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said at the new forum.

To be constructed is the initial phase of the project covering the first three stations with which the Metro Manila Subway can start operating.

The first three stations—Mindanao Avenue-Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora, and North Avenue—is expected to start operating by May 2022.

However, the groundbreaking schedule may be moved to January 2019.

“May iniisip kaming gagawin sa groundbreakinhg. Hung hindi mangyayari ‘yung iniisip naming gagawin sa groundbreaking dahil magdadala ng mga tinatawag na boring machine, baka ipagpaliban pa sa Enero,” Tugade noted.

Tha Cabinet official emphasized that the Metro Manila Subway project is moving ahead of schedule.

“Advance po kami sa schedule, dahil sa schedule namin dapat po start construction nun will be mga 2020—first quarter—so na-advance po namin ‘yung sa partial operability,” Tugade said.

Apart from the first three stations, the depot in Valenzuela City and the Philippine Railway Institute are also set to begin construction in December.

The loan agreement amounting to ¥104.530 billion or around P51 billion has been signed by the Philippine government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in March. 

“‘Yung pag-procure ng contractor para sa partial operability section, kasama ‘yung depot at Philippine Railway Institute, ay nakatakdang ma-award ngayong Nobyembre kaya’t inilalatag na natin ang groundbreaking soon after ma-mobilize ang kontraktor,” Transportation Undersecretary for Rails Timothy John Batan said at the same forum.

The country’s first subway rail system stretches 30 kilometers, with 14 stations, from Mindanao Ave. in Quezon City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City.

It has a provision for a 5-km extension and two additional stations to connect with the Light Rail Transit Line 1.

The subway train is expected to reduce commuting time from Quezon City to the airport to under 40 minutes.

The entire railway system is targeted to be completed in 2025. —VDS, GMA News