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Saturday, February 21, 2004
Ordinance sought v. railway project
By Nanette L. Guadalquiver
*Lawyer Romeo Gerochi, who makes the appeal following efforts to revive the railway system next month, requests the City Council to conduct a public hearing on their petition
*The P23.5-billion Panay Railways Rehabilitation Project, backed by Iloilo City Rep. Raul Gonzalez Sr., will be undertaken by a German, French and Austrian consortium
CONGRESSIONAL bet Romeo Gerochi asked the City Council to pass a measure blocking the revival of the railroad system in Iloilo City.
"This petition is supported by thousands of residents of Iloilo City whose signatures will be submitted to the City Council in a proper time," Gerochi, a lawyer, said in a letter dated February 18.
Gerochi, who made the appeal following efforts to revive the railway system next month, also requested the City Council to conduct a public hearing on their petition.
Iloilo City Rep. Raul Gonzalez Sr., whose son Councilor Raul Gonzalez Jr. is Gerochi's rival in the congressional race, has been pushing for the revival of the Panay railways.
The P23.5-billion Panay Railways Rehabilitation Project, backed by House Speaker Jose De Venecia, will be undertaken by a German, French and Austrian consortium.
It will involve the rehabilitation of the 117-kilometer alignment between Iloilo and Roxas and the integration of the existing railway line with the airport of international standards in Cabatuan-Sta. Barbara area as well as with routes of buses bound for Aklan.
The Trans Panay Express-Panay Visayan Railways will have 13 stations from Iloilo City. The 122-kilometer railway system will traverse La Paz, Pavia, Sta. Barbara, New Lucena, Pototan, Dueñas, Passi in Iloilo and Dumarao, Cuartero, Dao, Panit-an and Roxas City in Capiz.
As an alternative mode of transportation, it is seen to reduce travel time from Iloilo to Roxas to only 70 minutes.
Affected residents
Gerochi said he represents Iloilo City residents whose houses are situated along the railroad from Ungka to Lapuz as well as a "substantial number of residents of the City of Iloilo, who will be affected by the forthcoming rehabilitation of the railway system of the Panay Railways Inc."
He added that "past experiences will bear out the numerous accidents that have occurred along the railroad crossings (in Iloilo City) when the Panay Railways Inc. (PRI) was still operating."
"It cannot be denied that the entry of the railway system traversing the (city) will aggravate the traffic condition and cause inconvenience and likewise dislocate thousands of residents," he said, adding that the former railway terminal at Lapuz no longer exists.
Based on PRI records, there are close to 4,700 squatters and tenants occupying its properties from Iloilo to Roxas.
A total of 2,231 are considered active and 985, active. Those who have no contracts reach 1,472.
Sources of fund
Sources of project funds are the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) of Germany, KFW-Hermes in France, Coface in Austria (OEKB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Majority of the fund will be taken from the Medium Term Yen Commercial Credit Facility of the ODA and the balance from Export Credit Agencies. Meanwhile, the BIE will cover part of the project's civil works costs.
The construction period will run from 2006 to 2008 and the operation will start in 2009. This would include three phases with phase I to include construction of railways from Iloilo to Roxas. Phase II is the construction of the railway from Roxas City to Kalibo and Phase III is from Kalibo to Caticlan.
(February 21, 2004 issue)
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