Bulacan 6th district Rep. Salvador Pleyto Sr. has managed to get a commitment from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to at least look into the possibility of extending the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-7 to two more municipalities in Bulacan, namely Norzagaray and Sta. Maria.
This took place during a recent hearing of the House Committee on Transportation wherein DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez attended as a resource person.
A rookie member of the House of Representatives, Pleyto took the opportunity during the transportation panel hearing if MRT-7–which is still being constructed–can be stretched to serve the two towns in his district.
Chavez’s response was positive and spoke of three options to achieve the Bulacan lawmaker’s request.
“We submit to the expertise of the department of which for these options that Undersecretary Chavez is discussing,” said Pleyto, a retired undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Chavez said: “The most realistic among these options, as far as we are concerned, is the possibility of extending MRT-7. We can ask the MRT-7 developer to extend its project from San Jose del Monte to Norzagaray and Sta. Maria, probably.”
For option number two, the DOTr official brought up the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR). “Maybe from NSCR to Balagtas connecting through your areas, which is also recognized as a very, very heavily dense, densely populated area,” he said.
Finally, Chavez told the committee that a future public-private partnership or PPP could be made for the purpose of the line extension.
Antipolo City 2nd Rep. Romeo Acop chairs the House transportation panel.
A P62.7-billion project, the San Miguel Corporation (SMC)-backed MRT-7 runs in a northeast–southwest direction, beginning at San Jose del Monte, Bulacan up to the North Triangle Common Station in North Avenue, Quezon City.
It will be 22.8 kilometers long once completed.
