Mga railway project na ibinida ng gobyerno, kumusta na ngayon? (Full Episode) | Reporter’s Notebook
#ReportersNotebook: “Tracking the Railways”
Mahabang pila, siksikan at matinding traffic — ito ang mga kalbaryong araw-araw na hinaharap ng maraming commuter sa Metro Manila at kalapit probinsya nito. Isa sa mga nakitang solusyon ng gobyerno ang pagtatayo ng railway projects. Taong 2018 nang unang siyasatin ng #ReportersNotebook ang mga proyektong ito. Makalipas ang halos anim na taon, kumusta na ang mga ibinidang railway projects?
Mahabang pila, siksikan at matinding traffic — ito ang mga kalbaryong araw-araw na hinaharap ng maraming commuter sa Metro Manila at kalapit probinsya nito. Isa sa mga nakitang solusyon ng gobyerno ang pagtatayo ng railway projects. Taong 2018 nang unang siyasatin ng #ReportersNotebook ang mga proyektong ito. Makalipas ang halos anim na taon, kumusta na ang mga ibinidang railway projects?
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00:00This is the story of a man who lost his life in a traffic accident.
00:12The public has long been afraid of heavy traffic.
00:16Passengers are also suffering from long queues, traffic jams, and a lack of public transport.
00:31In addition to buses and jeeps, the government's solution is train or railway projects to reduce traffic,
00:39to have effective and affordable public transportation.
00:46In 2018, Reporters Notebook discussed the government's ongoing railway projects.
00:58Almost six years have passed, what happened to the projects?
01:05Have commuters benefited from the projects?
01:16This is the story of a man who lost his life in a traffic accident.
01:30It is now 6.30pm.
01:34Passengers are rushing home.
01:38This is where we are now.
01:40These are the vehicles going to San Jose del Monte Bulacan.
01:45These are the vehicles going to Commonwealth Avenue.
01:48It is one of the widest streets in Metro Manila, but it is also one of the busiest streets.
02:00From Nia Road in Quezon City, we took a bus to San Jose del Monte Bulacan.
02:07Here, I was able to talk to some passengers.
02:11How long have you been doing this everyday commute?
02:16It's been a long time, almost 35 years.
02:20Has anything changed?
02:23Nothing, it's just getting harder.
02:26This area is now less crowded, right?
02:29Yes, it's less crowded.
02:32But later, can it still be full?
02:34Yes, it can still be full.
02:36It's crowded.
02:44Tandasora, we're almost there.
02:47Do we really need this?
02:50Think about it.
02:52Is there a way to ease this situation?
02:55There are two ways.
02:57Is it really full?
02:59Yes, it's full.
03:01The passengers can't get on the bus.
03:03V. Rose Monterola and her 10-month-old baby are on their way home from Cavite.
03:11How long have you been driving from Cavite?
03:14Five hours.
03:16When you get to Bagong Sinang, what time will it be?
03:20Around 7 or 8.
03:23It's hard to commute here.
03:26It's hard to get home.
03:32It's hard to get home.
03:46Calvary for Justin Andre Mayer is the daily traffic jam.
03:55It's 7 in the morning.
03:57Justin says goodbye to his wife and two children.
04:02From Bulacan, he will go to work in Pasay City.
04:07Justin works as a call center agent.
04:11My shift is at 10 a.m.
04:14I have to leave at 7 a.m. so I can get to work on time.
04:19I add a few more hours to compensate if there's a delay in my trip.
04:29This is my first trip.
04:30From our barangay to the highway.
04:35It's a tricycle.
04:46When he arrived at the highway, Justin took a bus to Quezon City.
04:52On a daily basis, he goes through the ongoing construction of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 or MRT 7.
05:04It's a huge help for those who come from faraway places like Bulacan
05:11to be able to get to NCR or Manila.
05:16We can save on time and money.
05:20MRT 7 was built in 2016 by the Department of Transportation or DOTR.
05:26It's 24 kilometers long and will have 14 stations from Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
05:37From his trip to Quezon City, he will go to the highway.
05:41From his trip to Quezon City, he will go to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
05:44From his 2 to 3-hour trip, MRT 7 will speed up the travel time from Quezon City to San Jose del Monte by 35 minutes.
05:56According to the document provided by DOTR in the Reporter's Notebook,
06:00the total cost of the project is more than 62 billion pesos.
06:05The fund came from the PPP or Public Private Partnership.
06:12In 2018, the Government's Railway Projects were first discussed by the Reporter's Notebook
06:19under the Build-Build-Build Program with MRT 7.
06:24At that time, 2019 was the completed completion date
06:29and in 2020, MRT 7 was targeted to be operational.
06:33Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the issue of the road right-of-way,
06:42the completion of MRT 7 was delayed.
06:45It is expected that there will be a lot of help to make the roads of the vehicles
06:50from Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan more accessible.
06:53The road right-of-way is needed if the Government's project will pass through a private land.
07:04At first, a land in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan was planned by the Government
07:10to be used as a depot or road for the new MRT 7.
07:14But the two sides did not agree on the price,
07:17so other properties were needed for the depot.
07:20As of July 2024, the construction progress of MRT 7 is already at 71.67%.
07:28It is expected that 800,000 passengers will benefit from the project every day.
07:342025, it is targeted to be operational.
07:37Out of the 14, MRT 7 is hoping to operate 12 stations.
07:42MRT 7 is targeting partial operations by the end of next year.
07:50When he got off the bus, Justin moved to MRT 3 to reach Pasay.
08:20When it comes to the task, his vehicle is a jeep.
08:51It is past 10 in the morning when Justin arrived at his office.
09:04It is 8 in the evening, Justin will travel again to Bulacan.
09:10To be honest, I am not in a hurry, but since we are in a hurry to go home,
09:15since the trip will take a long time,
09:18here we are, we are waiting for the jeep to go to MRT Tas Avenue Station.
09:24He needs to ride a jeep again.
09:36And ride MRT 3 to EDSA to reach Quezon City.
09:46GMA Command, GMA Command.
09:49When he gets off the Amuling Station, he will transfer to a bus that will go to Del Monte.
10:06When he got closer to their location, Justin bought some food.
10:11Since I talked to my wife, she told me,
10:15while I was on the trip, she could not cook.
10:20So, we are a bit late since the trip was delayed.
10:25So, I just decided to buy some food in a corner.
10:31After 3 and a half hours of travel,
10:35Justin finally arrived at their house.
10:42He is lucky that he was able to wake up his wife.
10:52I am really nervous at that time.
10:55I just want to see my kids when I get home,
10:58which is not happening anymore since I am busy with the trip.
11:02When MRT 7 is opened, Justin will be one of the benefactors of the project.
11:07We will be able to save on massages and time.
11:10And it will have a big impact on our daily lives.
11:13For sure.
11:15Yesterday, Justin traveled for almost 7 hours.
11:22Under the guidance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2014,
11:28the productivity loss of Metro Manila is estimated to reach 2.4 billion pesos every day.
11:34And if the traffic problem is not solved,
11:37it is estimated to reach 6 billion pesos every day by 2030.
11:44According to DOTR Undersecretary for Railways Jeremy Riquino,
11:49the agency is currently focusing on 13 railway projects.
11:54Aside from MRT 7,
11:56LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension is also included in the list.
12:00Its project cost is more than 77 billion pesos under the PPP or Public-Private Partnership,
12:09Official Development Assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA,
12:14and Government Fund.
12:16It is 11.7 kilometers long,
12:18running from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite.
12:22When we first visited it in 2018,
12:25the project is in the pre-construction phase
12:28and plans to start the partial operations in 2021.
12:32But due to the pandemic,
12:34there was also a delay in the project.
12:44I'm leaving home.
12:49One of the expected passengers of LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension
12:54is Justine May Papio, or JM.
12:59From their home in Bacoor, Cavite,
13:02she experiences daily chaos when commuting.
13:06JM works as an admin staff in a private company in Paranaque and Makati City.
13:13Instead of a one-hour trip,
13:16I woke up two hours earlier because it was too much hassle.
13:20Instead of going in fresh, I went in right away.
13:25I think that's enough.
13:28Every day, JM says,
13:30it's hard for her to deal with other passengers
13:34and the lack of public transportation.
13:36Coming from Cavite,
13:38the transportation to my workplace is very limited.
13:42I'm not sure if I'll be able to ride in those two hours.
13:46Sometimes, I'm really standing.
13:48You really have to squeeze when you're at the door of the bus
13:51so that you can get in on time.
13:54JM says,
13:56because of the chaos,
13:58she already experienced a lot.
14:00It's a great advantage.
14:02When the situation is bad, it's really hard.
14:05A one-hour trip
14:07usually means twice or three times the rush hour.
14:12If I'm in Makati,
14:14I guess I'll be there in three hours
14:16since there are three different buses.
14:18I'm going to the airport.
14:21This July 2024,
14:22the construction progress of the LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension
14:26is at 74% according to the DOTR.
14:29This is at Rojas Boulevard.
14:31You can see the train tracks here.
14:33It's almost ready.
14:35There are railings.
14:37By the end of this year,
14:39we will open five stations in Paranaque
14:41that will be operational.
14:43As part of the government's so-called railway renaissance,
14:47the rehabilitation and maintenance of MRT 3
14:50is already underway.
14:52This is the train that travels from Taas, Pasay
14:55to North Arino, Quezon City.
14:58In 1999,
15:00when MRT 3 became fully operational,
15:03we can already see the progress and development,
15:06the improvement of our train system in the MRT 3 line.
15:11There are less glitches.
15:14But what is considered
15:16one of the government's biggest railway projects
15:18is the Metro Manila Subway Project.
15:21This is the first subway or underground railway in the country
15:26that was also called the Project of the Century.
15:28The railway system is 33 kilometers long
15:31and will have 17 stations
15:34from Valenzuela City to Paranaque City.
15:37The funding for the project will start at Php 488 billion
15:43from the official development assistance of JICA.
15:47In our interview with DOTR in 2018,
15:51they said the target is to finish the three subway stations in 2022.
15:57The target for 2027 is to be operational.
16:03But due to the delay due to the pandemic,
16:06the target was changed to operational date and it was made in 2031.
16:10In the subway,
16:12we are also hoping to achieve partial operations
16:16by the end of 2028.
16:18That is from Valenzuela to Ortigas.
16:23At present,
16:25construction is ongoing in Valenzuela and Mindanao Avenues in Quezon City.
16:29The construction progress of the Metro Manila Subway
16:33is at 15.57% as of July 2024.
16:38To be connected to LRT 1, MRT 3, MRT 7 and the subway,
16:43the Grand Central Station or Unified Common Station will be built.
16:48It will be located in Quezon City, which was funded by Php 2.8 billion.
16:53In 2023, the first target was to finish the project,
16:57but there was also a delay due to the need to stop the construction due to the pandemic.
17:02At present, the construction progress of the Unified Common Station is at 81.49%.
17:08It's ongoing. It will be finished next year.
17:11Another DOTR project is the North-South Commuter Railway.
17:17It will travel from Clark, Pampanga to Palamba, Laguna.
17:22Its total project cost is Php 873.6 billion
17:27from the official development assistance of JICA and a loan from a bank.
17:32This year is the original target completion date of the project,
17:36but due to the road right-of-way problem,
17:38the project's target partial operations are already in the fourth quarter of 2027.
17:45We are on target. We are on time.
17:48The partial operations for Clark to Valenzuela in December of 2027,
17:55in our worst-case scenario, is the first quarter of 2028.
18:00Another major railway project of the government is the LRT 2 West and East Extension.
18:06For the LRT 2 East Extension, Php 9.5 million was allocated by the government operating in 2021.
18:15The Php 10 million for the West Extension is currently under a comprehensive study, said the DOTR.
18:24There is an ongoing study for the rehabilitation of Line 2
18:30because our new workers are already there.
18:33So that's a total of 10-kilometer expansion.
18:37If we add up the 13 railway projects,
18:40there are five ongoing construction and rehabilitation projects.
18:44One is already done.
18:46Three are in the pre-construction phase and four are still under feasibility study.
18:53The DOTR admitted that their common problem in implementing projects is the road right-of-way.
19:00It is not easy to resolve.
19:02It's not that easy.
19:03There are so many special laws in right-of-way acquisition.
19:07Loan agreement, safety guidelines of JICA and ADB.
19:11There is the LENA law or the Housing Urban Development Law.
19:16We cannot just pay the landowner if his documents are not complete, if his papers are not complete.
19:23For the civil society group, ALT Mobility,
19:27it is a big thing to arrange the land that will pass before the project starts.
19:31If the project is delayed, the layout of the rail services will take a long time.
19:38Second, the budget allocated for this will be wasted.
19:43They agreed and the railway sector of DOTR is fighting their agency.
19:49That is what we are fighting for.
19:51Before we start the project, let's fund it and let's commence the right-of-way.
19:56We are asking the DOTR to allow us, even prior to the loan agreement,
20:04as long as the NEDA-ICC approves it, the right-of-way acquisition will continue.
20:13The DOTR railway sector is adding more effects if there is a delay in the project.
20:20The project costs will not increase.
20:23There will be standby costs and prolongation costs.
20:26We will have to extend the hiring of personnel and consultants.
20:30As time goes by, the price of land increases.
20:33Most of all is the loss of time and opportunity.
20:40According to the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance or UPNCPAG,
20:47there is also an implication here in the fund, especially almost all railway projects are borrowed by the government.
20:53The effect of that is if the project is not followed from conception to feasibility study,
21:02to detail design, and all the way to construction, the construction becomes more expensive.
21:08First, because you will repeat all the requisite studies before you break the ground.
21:15If that goes down, there will be opportunity costs, so it becomes more expensive.
21:19So you need to infuse more capital.
21:22The implication is that there will be restructuring of loans.
21:28There needs to be a comprehensive transportation plan.
21:33If you look at the budget presentation of DOTR or their plans, it is very project-based.
21:39They will do the Metro Manila Subway project here,
21:43they will do the NSCR here, and they will separate the plan of active transportation.
21:51We are doing our best to finish this as soon as possible,
21:57so that we can provide comfortable, environment-friendly, and affordable transportation for our countrymen.
22:10Railway projects in the country are now being constructed simultaneously.
22:16It is important to ensure that each project is done properly and correctly.
22:22Even if it is borrowed by a loan, given by another country, or from the citizens,
22:28it should be properly inspected.
22:31Because we are the ones who will pay for it.
22:35Until next Saturday, I am Mackie Pulido.
22:39I am Jun Venaracion, and this is Reporter's Notebook.