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Wednesday, April 3, 2024
PNR chair: Relocation of informal settlers for NSCR project starts
There may be no more homes along the “riles” (rails) soon, at least for the routes along the government’s big-ticket North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.
In a press conference in Manila on Wednesday, Philippine National Railways (PNR) chair Michael Macapagal said that the relocation of informal settlers who have built their homes along the route of the NSCR in Metro Manila will begin this April.
“In Metro Manila, we are starting the (…) relocation and fencing by this month. So, in the course of doing that, we will encounter right of way issues and we will then address it on a case-to-case basis,” Macapagal said in a mix of Filipino and English.
“(It) should be this April, moving forward, the relocation is starting,” he added, saying that the informal settlers have already been informed that they will be relocated for “quite some time.”
The NSCR is an P873.6 billion railway project by the government which would cover some 147 kilometers from Clark in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna.
The PNR chair previously said that this new railway project, which is targeted to be completed in five years, will be able to serve some 800,000 passengers a day upon completion.
“The (P873) billion budget of the DOTr [Department of Transportation] and PNR for the North-South Commuter Railway includes the relocation allowance for our compatriots. We are in contact with the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development, and the National Housing Authority in moving our affected compatriots to resettlement areas,” Macapagal explained.
As for the location of resettlement areas, he noted that he had received a directive from Malacañang and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista to relocate affected persons to the same provinces or municipalities where they were initially residing.
“The order of the President and the Secretary is that if they [informal settlers] were removed from Laguna, they should also be relocated to Laguna. If they were removed from Manila, they should also be relocated to Manila,” the PNR chair said.
He, however, noted that this relocation initiative comes with challenges, particularly in terms of right-of-way issues.
“The right of way issues, I admit, (are) very challenging. However, I can safely say that from Clark to Valenzuela, the construction work is anywhere from 80 to 85 percent finished. That has been handled well and I admire the political will that was put in the process of taking care of that,” the government official said.
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
PBBM forms committee for right-of-way activities for railway projects
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has created an inter-agency committee tasked to oversee the right-of-way (ROW) activities for the country’s railway projects to expedite the process of land acquisition needed for their implementation.
Under Administrative Order (AO) 19 inked by Marcos on March 25, the secretary of the Department of Transportation will serve as the chairperson of the inter-agency committee, with the secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development serving as co-chair.
Members of the committee include the Interior, Social Welfare, Environment, Finance, Budget, and Justice departments, as well as the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
The Philippine National Railway (PNR), serving as the Secretariat of the Committee, is directed to provide administrative and technical support to the body.
“The Inter-Agency Committee for ROW Activities for National Railway Projects (Committee) is hereby created to study and devise an efficient and collaborative mechanism to streamline the process of land acquisition necessary for the implementation of all railway projects,” AO 19 read.
The committee is mandated to coordinate the implementation of railway policies and projects, as well as craft and approve project-specific policies and programs.
It is also directed to identify the appropriate services or programs concerning land acquisition and other ROW activities, such as livelihood, income restoration, and resettlement.
AO 19 likewise designates the committee to identify effective existing policies, agreements, contracts, and other similar arrangements between and among government agencies.
The committee also has the authority to consolidate and mobilize agency resources to streamline budgeting; deliberate and resolve issues or grievances; and create technical working groups to implement AO 19.
Republic Act (RA) 10752 or the Right-of-Way Act authorizes the government to acquire real property needed as a ROW site or location for any national government infrastructure project through donation, negotiated sale, expropriation, or any other mode of acquisition.
Under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda, the Marcos administration aims to improve the Philippine transportation sector by providing sustainable and affordable transportation options that will link communities to economic, social, and cultural centers.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension, Metro Manila Subway Project, North-South Commuter Railway System, Mindanao Railway Project, and PNR South Long Haul are among the current administration’s priority infrastructure projects in the transportation sector to boost mobility, enhance connectivity, and promote growth centers outside the urban-industrial region.
Malacañang has yet to release a copy of AO 19.
Meanwhile, Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. lauded President Marcos for being “both a visionary and a realist” in establishing the inter-agency committee.
"Sinisiguro niya na ang mga pangarap makamit ng ating bansa ay naka-angkla sa konkretong plano at aksyon (He sees to it that the country's aspirations are anchored on concrete plans and actions),” Revilla said in a statement.
"With this new committee to focus on the right-of-way, we see more railway projects coming into reality," he added. (With a report from Wilnard Bacelonia)