Source: Business Mirror
A P426-billion five-year plan to rehabilitate and modernize the country’s transport sector was unveiled on Thursday by the Department of Transportation and Communications.
Speaking before the Makati Business Club (MBC), Transportation Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II said he sees his team at the DOTC as a “problem solver” and vowed results when he returns next year to grace again the MBC’s membership meeting.
“Our role is to solve the country’s transport problems. I see my team as a problem solver. If invited next year, there will be a rate card so that you can rate the performance of this agency,” Roxas told MBC members, as he unveiled the department’s five-year transport-infrastructure plan estimated to cost P426 billion.
“The amount is just an estimate, as some of the projects will still have to undergo the bidding process. But we are confident the projects will start to take off in five years,” said Roxas.
He said he was confident his team will resolve problematic contracts entered into by the previous administration. These include the NorthRail, Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 and the roll-on, roll-off (Roro) projects.
Roxas said the DOTC will pursue the speedy and just resolution of past infrastructure projects that “simply did not fit the standards of a sound deal, either by dint of corruption or technical fault.” The NorthRail project is one of them, he said.
“We are reconfiguring this project after our productive discussion with top Chinese officials during our recent trip there with the President,” he said. “This time, we want to rewrite the lopsided contract to our mutual advantage. Instead of just a train that will run from Caloocan to Mabalacat in Pampanga, we want this to stretch out from Metro Manila to Clark. We are resolved to get the biggest bang out of every peso spent—no overprice, no fancy specs that we don’t need,” Roxas added.
The “new” NorthRail project will be called Naia-Clark Express Rail Link. It will involve the development, operation and maintenance of a newly constructed high-speed NorthRail, a 100-kilometer-long railway from the Central Business District to Clark Freeport in Pampanga, with a total travel time of 45 minutes. The project will cost P108 billion, said Roxas. He added that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has agreed to undertake the feasibility study.
Other rail projects include the P5.1-billion operation, management and revenue contract of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1), the P30-billion modernization of the Philippine National Railways’ south line; P7.5-billion privatization of Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3) operation; the P3.4-billion rehabilitation of MRT 3 coaches; the P79-billion LRT 1 extension to Cavite; and the P12-billion LRT 2 extension to Antipolo.
Overall spending to improve the railway sector of the country is estimated to cost P245 billion.
For airports, the DOTC will set aside P2.07 billion for the rehabilitation of Naia terminals 1, 2 and 3.
Roxas said plans are under way to decongest Naia through the reduction of corporate and air taxi flights by 50 percent of the current number of sorties during peak hours.
“We will construct a rapid-exit taxiway to reduce runway occupancy time. We are also studying the transfer of noncommercial flights to other areas such as Sangley Point,” he said.
To transform Clark airport as a premier gateway, some P12.4 billion must be set aside to be able to accommodate expected passenger growth, he said.
A new passenger terminal worth P10.15 billion will be built in Mactan, Cebu.
Roxas said P3 billion should be earmarked for the Kalibo airport upgrade; P1 billion for the construction of a new passenger terminal at the Tacloban airport; and P8 billion for the upgrade of various airports nationwide.
The Puerto Princesa Airport would need P4.2 billion to be upgraded; P7.8 billion for Laguindingan airport; and P8 billion for the New Bohol airport.
For the road sector, Roxas said several “greenfield” projects are being planned, such as the proposed Cebu Bus Rapid Transit.
Under a study completed in June 2010, the 15-km Bus Rapid Transit line from Bulacao from the southwest to Talamban northeast of the city will have 22 stations and three terminals. This will cost P5.2 billion.
The DOTC, he added, will enforce policies that will make fleets of taxes, buses and jeepneys younger.
“With younger vehicles in our traffic, this will mean less carbon dioxide in the air we breathe, less accidents and less inconvenience for commuters. We will enforce a phase-out period of 10 years for taxis, 15 years for UV expresses and 10 years for multi-cabs,” said Roxas.
For ports projects, a central Roro Spine project worth P49.3 billion will be constructed linking Manila-Panay-Negros-Cebu-Bohol-Northern Mindanao. This project is expected to reduce overall travel time of passengers from nine to five hours from Luzon to Caticlan, 10 to four hours from Luzon to Roxas, and 21 to 10 hours from Manila to Cebu.
A new container and multipurpose terminal in Cebu worth P10.2 billion will be developed to expand port capacity in handling container traffic.
A P5-billion upgrade of the Davao Sasa port will be carried out to accommodate more passengers and cargo.
Also, P7.64 billion will be allocated for the improvement, expansion of various municipal ports nationwide.
All these projects, according to Roxas, will adhere to President Aquino’s 5Rs—right project, right quality, right people, right cost, and right on time.
Meanwhile, the President has appointed Cosette Canilao as executive director of the Public-Private Partnership Center (PPP Center), Malacañang said on Thursday.
Canilao has been PPP Center officer in charge since Philamer Torio resigned as executive director last month to pursue further studies.
Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office said Canilao is the “logical choice” for the job.
“She’s performed well and this eliminates the need for transition since she’s already there. She’s been there since the start,” Carandang said.
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda and Carandang said interest in the PPPs remains strong despite the perceived delay in bidding them out.
“There are still queries from investors. We just wanted to be sure that when we launch a project, it will be fully reviewed. In some of the projects, we have retained advisers or consultants to make sure that the project would be properly launched and when it’s bid out, it will be a complete project without attendant concerns anymore,” Lacierda said.
(With Mia Gonzalez)
