GROUNDBREAKING ceremonies were held Wednesday, February 27, to mark the start of the construction of the Metro Manila Subway, the country's first underground rail system and one of the flagship projects under President Rodrigo Duterte's Build Build Build program.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Palace was elated with the groundbreaking ceremony, which has debunked claims of critics that the project would never materialize.
"The critics say it can never be done. The cynics say it is just a dream. We are pleased to announce today’s groundbreaking ceremony of the Metro Manila Subway, which will be the first-ever underground railway system in the Philippines," the Palace official said in a statement.
"The Metro Manila Subway has been dubbed as the project of the century as it is considered a major transformational project in mass transport in the country," he added.
The 36-kilometer Metro Manila subway will have 15 stations that will run from Quirino Highway in Quezon City to Ninoy Aquino International Terminal (Naia) 3 in Pasay City and FTI in Taguig.
With a speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour, the railway system would allow commuting public to enjoy a travel time of 30 minutes from Quezon City to Naia Terminal 3.
A joint venture of Shimizu Corp., Fujita Corp. and Takenaka Civil Engineering Co. Ltd. of Japan and the Philippines's EEI Corp was tapped to design and build the first three stations in Valenzuela, Tandang Sora, and North Avenue.
Partial operability of the subway with the first three stations is targeted in 2022, while full operations will be in 2025.
Panelo called on the public to be "patient," telling them that they will "greatly benefit from gains of this major infrastructure project in the near future."
He also expressed hope that the successor of the Duterte government would continue the subway project to ensure its full implementation by 2025.
"With this foundation, we request succeeding administrations to exert the same effort until the railway system is fully completed," he said.
"The Office of the President will be monitoring the progress of this project and commits its all-out support to the DOTr and all agencies involved as they endeavor to deliver this facility to our countrymen," he added. (SunStar Philippines)