DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade will be in Davao City on August 27 to update the Davao business community on the present issues and concerns in the transportation sector.
Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) President, Bonifacio Tan said that Tugade will be their guest speaker at their eighth General Membership Meeting which will be held at the Grand Regal Hotel Km. 7 JP Laurel Avenue, Lanang, Davao City.
The transportation chief, he said, will be discussing about the transportation and connectivity projects here including the Davao Sasa Port Modernization (DSPM), Davao International Airport renovation, Mindanao Railway System and Davao Transit System, among others.
“His talk is entitled: Integral Development for Mindanao's Transportation Points to Promote Economic Growth,” Tan said.
Earlier, Tugade said that in his first 100 days as the transportation head he will resolve all issues in the controversial P18.99-billion DSPM.
During the chamber’s General Membership Meeting last month, transportation Undersecretary Rommel Gavieta vowed to hold consultations with all stakeholders directly and indirectly involved and affected by the project within this month assuring that the project will not continue if not all will be consulted.
DOTr’s planned consultation will be led by Transportation Undersecretary Philip Judan, who will also meet with the Davao City officials to discuss the project.
Earlier, the City Council passed a resolution opposing the project because no prior consultation was done regarding the proposal considering the huge budget allotted for it.
At present, the project’s bidding was put on hold as the proponents still need to secure all the final clearances and approval from different government agencies.
Tan, for his part, said that they are still for the development of the port but seeks the project cost to be lowered to some P4 to P5 billion.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia told reporters on August 18 that the Duterte administration’s plan is to start to work on the Mindanao Railway System project next year as the feasibility study of the long-proposed 2,000-kilometer Mindanao Railway System (MRS) is targeted to be completed in the third quarter of this year.
Pernia added that the governments of China, Japan, and South Korea as well as some four local giant firms have showed interest to invest in the project.