Bill empowering LGUs to develop own mass transport systems filed in Senate

Senator Sherwin Gatchlian has filed a bill seeking to empower local government units (LGUs) to develop their own "state-of-the-art" mass transportation system.

Senate Bill 951 seeks to amend the Local Government Code of 1991 to allow LGUs to provide safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable mass transportation system such as modern rail-based systems, personal rapid transit systems, monorails, railways, subways, cable cars, trams, bus rapid transits, and other means of transportation.

Under the measure, these modes of transportation must be consistent with the concept of livable and sustainable smart cities and may be created through loans, grants, capital investments, partnerships and joint ventures with both private and public institutions.

The LGU-proposed transportation system must consider interconnectivity and integration with the existing and proposed national intermodal transportation system as well as the system established by other LGUs.

In his explanatory note, Gatchalian cited the Japan International Cooperation Agency Follow Up Survey on the Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for the Greater Capital Region in 2017, which estimated that the Philippines stand to lose P5.4 billion to traffic daily by 2035 if no interventions are made in Metro Manila.

"Given these dire transportation figures, NCR cities, however, have the means to invest in its infrastructure projects that can ease traffic congestion in the region," he said.

As an example, Gatchalian mentioned the Makati Intra-City Subway project which is being built at no cost to the city as it is done through a Public-Private Partnership agreement.

The project is set for completion in 2025 and it is projected to operate 18 hours a day, carrying around 700,000 passengers daily.

Gatchalian said this subway project is anticipated to decrease around 270,000 vehicles on the road by 2048, mitigating Makati's carbon dioxide emission by 2.3 million metric tons and is targeted to create 10,000 jobs for city residents.

This initiative, he said, is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 which sets to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by 2030.

"Investing in transportation by cities, especially outside of the NCR, to attain SDG 11 can be more achievable if there is a corresponding adjustment to the current policy support framework provided for by the Local Government Code of 1991," he said.

"Thus, this bill empowers LGUs to create sustainable state-of-the-art mass public transportation systems within the concept of livable smart cities, through various financial facilities and arrangements involving both private and public entities, even without sovereign guaranty, in the same manner as the innovation undertaken by Makati City," he added. —Hana Bordey/KBK, GMA Integrated News