By Charissa Luci-Atienza
The Department of Transportation is seeking additional P2.9 billion to fund its priority projects, including the development of four airports, the construction of the Pagasa Island port, and the implementation of the public utility vehicle modernization program.
DOTr Undersecretary for Finance Garry de Guzman presented to the House Committee on Appropriations the agency’s “wish list”, citing the need to augment their proposed P147-billion budget for 2020, which is more than double than this year’s P67.67 billion budget.
“Our total additional funding request for 2020 is P2.9 billion, augmentation for DOTr projects,” he told the panel.
He identified the DOTr’s list of priority projects which were unfunded under their proposed 2020 budget.
De Guzman said the aviation sector needs P865 million for the development of airports and upgrading of airport facilities.
Of this, P100 million will be allocated for the development of Laguindingan Airport, P75 million for Virac Airport, P75 million for Ormoc Airport, and P100 million for the Antique Airport “to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA),” he said.
The DOTr is also seeking P227.5-million funding for the Pagasa Island port, P72 million for the establishment of the K-9 Academy, P691 million for the public utility vehicle modernization program, and P201.9 million for the Inter-agency Council for Traffic.
Under their proposed additional funding requests, P486.5 million will be allocated to the maritime sector and P1.5 billion for the road sector.
De Guzman said they need another P62 million for the creation of the Philippine Railway Institute.
During the briefing, he disclosed P108 billion has been allocated to fund the DOTr’s infrastructure projects, 99 percent of which or P106.7 billion will benefit the railway sector.
Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., the vice-chairperson of House Committee on Appropriations, has noted that P106.7 billion to build, renew, and upgrade railways for next year “is five times the P19.9-billion allocation this year for the same purpose.”
Of the 106.7 billion budget for the railway sector, P84.8 billion will go to North-South Commuter Railway System, the 147-kilometer, 36-station elevated railway project that will run from Calamba, Laguna to New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
The railway will also provide a direct link to Clark International Airport in the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat in Pampanga.
The DOTr’s allocation for the Railway Construction, Rehabilitation and Improvement Program in the proposed P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 also includes P9.8 billion for the Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1; P5 billion for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 Rehabilitation Project; P878 million for the South Long-Haul Project that will link up Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Bicol and cut travel time between Manila and Legazpi City to just six hours, from 13 hours; P97 million for the Mindanao Railway Project; and P74 million for the LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Project.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/09/05/dotr-seeks-p2-9-billion-to-augment-2020-budget/
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Tunnel digging for Metro Manila subway to start November
Contractors will start digging for the Metro Manila Subway before the year ends, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan told lawmakers during the agency's budget hearing that digging for subway stations is set to start by November or December this year, following an eight-month design study for the project.
"The detailed engineering design of our contractor has been ongoing from February to October. Patapos na po sila. By November-December this year, mobilize ng equipment, hukay na po tayo sa subway project natin [we'll start digging for the subway project]," Batan told members of the House appropriations committtee on Thursday.
The subway project stretches 36 kilometers long and covers seven cities and 15 stations. It will start in Quirino Highway in Quezon City all the way to Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City. It is funded through the Japan International Cooperation Agency worth ₱357 billion.
Batan said they are looking to start partial operations of the new railway as early as end-2021, initially by ferrying passengers across three stations: Tandang Sora, Mindanao Avenue, and North Avenue, all located in Quezon City.
Tunnel boring machines have arrived in the country and will be assembled for the digging phase.
Once fully operational by 2025, the project is expected to cut travel time end-to-end to 30 minutes from the current two to three hours. It is expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily.
Emergency powers
Meanwhile, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade made a fresh pitch for Congress to grant emergency powers to solve the ever-worsening traffic congestion in the capital.
Back in 2016, Tugade requested for special powers that would delegate him as traffic chief over the next three years. He will oversee and control all efforts to manage traffic and transportation specifically in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Davao City, including the creation of a unified traffic system for each metropolitan area.
The measure cleared the House but failed to do so in the Senate. However, Tugade is not giving up.
"Kung walang emergency powers, kung susundin yung proseso sa procurement at bidding, mabagal ho [If we don't have emergency powers and we follow the process of procurement and bidding, it will be slow]," Tugade told members of the committee.
"Because of the uniqueness of situation, we need a unique solution... Kailangan natin 'yan for the enjoyment for the materiality of time. We believe in our project and we need the time to be able to put this in motion," he added.
But Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman rejected Tugade's proposal, saying that existing laws already allow leeway to cut short bureaucratic processes as needed.
The DOTr asked for a ₱147-billion budget for 2020, double its current funding. The agency said ₱108 billion is earmarked for infrastructure, with bulk of the funds meant for railway projects.
The DOTr expects to open the Mindanao Railway by 2021, and the new segment of the Philippine National Railways linking Clark, Pampanga to Los Banos, Laguna by 2022.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/9/5/Metro-Manila-subway-digging-November.html
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan told lawmakers during the agency's budget hearing that digging for subway stations is set to start by November or December this year, following an eight-month design study for the project.
"The detailed engineering design of our contractor has been ongoing from February to October. Patapos na po sila. By November-December this year, mobilize ng equipment, hukay na po tayo sa subway project natin [we'll start digging for the subway project]," Batan told members of the House appropriations committtee on Thursday.
The subway project stretches 36 kilometers long and covers seven cities and 15 stations. It will start in Quirino Highway in Quezon City all the way to Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City. It is funded through the Japan International Cooperation Agency worth ₱357 billion.
Batan said they are looking to start partial operations of the new railway as early as end-2021, initially by ferrying passengers across three stations: Tandang Sora, Mindanao Avenue, and North Avenue, all located in Quezon City.
Tunnel boring machines have arrived in the country and will be assembled for the digging phase.
Once fully operational by 2025, the project is expected to cut travel time end-to-end to 30 minutes from the current two to three hours. It is expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily.
Emergency powers
Meanwhile, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade made a fresh pitch for Congress to grant emergency powers to solve the ever-worsening traffic congestion in the capital.
Back in 2016, Tugade requested for special powers that would delegate him as traffic chief over the next three years. He will oversee and control all efforts to manage traffic and transportation specifically in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Davao City, including the creation of a unified traffic system for each metropolitan area.
The measure cleared the House but failed to do so in the Senate. However, Tugade is not giving up.
"Kung walang emergency powers, kung susundin yung proseso sa procurement at bidding, mabagal ho [If we don't have emergency powers and we follow the process of procurement and bidding, it will be slow]," Tugade told members of the committee.
"Because of the uniqueness of situation, we need a unique solution... Kailangan natin 'yan for the enjoyment for the materiality of time. We believe in our project and we need the time to be able to put this in motion," he added.
But Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman rejected Tugade's proposal, saying that existing laws already allow leeway to cut short bureaucratic processes as needed.
The DOTr asked for a ₱147-billion budget for 2020, double its current funding. The agency said ₱108 billion is earmarked for infrastructure, with bulk of the funds meant for railway projects.
The DOTr expects to open the Mindanao Railway by 2021, and the new segment of the Philippine National Railways linking Clark, Pampanga to Los Banos, Laguna by 2022.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/9/5/Metro-Manila-subway-digging-November.html
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