President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Transportation Secretary Banoy Lopez lead the groundbreaking ceremony of the Metro Manila Subway Project NAIA Terminal 3 Station or Contract Package 109. ABS-CBN NewsMANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the groundbreaking of the NAIA Terminal 3 Station of the Metro Manila Subway Project, which will make Ninoy Aquino International Airport the first major gateway in the Philippines to be directly linked to an urban mass transport system.
According to Marcos, 100 percent of the station-area right-of-way has already been secured, allowing construction to move forward.
The NAIA Terminal 3 station will be built beneath the NAIA Terminal 3 Open Parking and will be able to serve up to 70,000 passengers daily.
“Once the Metro Manila Subway is fully operational, travel between Valenzuela and NAIA is expected to be reduced from about one hour and 30 minutes to just 40 minutes,” said Marcos.
The project is part of ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s railway system, improve connectivity across Metro Manila, and cut travel time for commuters.
“Our people need a public transport system that gives them a real alternative, one that is efficient, dependable, and connected to the places where we live, study, work, and travel. Our investors and tourists need to know that they can rely upon a transport system that can bring them to where they need to be and want to be in the most efficient manner that is possible,” he added.
Overall, the construction of the 33-kilometer underground railway system is nearly 60 percent done.
The government aims to complete its construction by the last quarter of 2031.
However, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni Lopez said full operations are slated for early 2032, pending the necessary testing and commissioning requirements.
“Alam niyo naman po pag natapos na ang isang imprastruktura, iba pa yung bagon. May testing and commissioning pa po yun na sinasabi. Parang sasakyan, kapag bumibili ka ng sasakyan bine-break in mo. Mas lalong dapat maingat tayo sa break in kasi ang sumasakay dito libo-libo na pasahero,” Lopez explained.
While right-of-way acquisition had been a major challenge for the project, Lopez said the process has accelerated, largely due to the Accelerated and Reformed Right-of-Way (ARROW) Act.
Lopez said a private subdivision in Quezon City had been one of the more challenging areas, but private property owners there have now agreed to negotiated sales.
One remaining package, Contract Package 108, is still under procurement.
“Mukhang mas okay na po tayo ngayon. Mas napabilis na po yung right-of-way acquisition natin because of the ARROW Act also. Yung pinaka talagang challenging at the time yung sinasabi nating Corinthian subdivision. Ngayon po wala na po tayong problema diyan. Lahat na po ng ating private owners na houses ay talaga namang pumayag na rin ho to have a negotiated sale of their property,” Lopez said.
FUNDING FOR FOREIGN-ASSISTED PROJECTS
Senate Finance Committee Chairman JV Ejercito, who also attended the groundbreaking ceremony, vowed to prioritize funding for foreign-assisted infrastructure projects such as the Metro Manila Subway, amid concerns over delays in the implementation of major projects.
Ejercito said the government must ensure that its financial obligations to lenders such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are met, unlike in the past when these were placed under unprogrammed appropriations.
“The problem started when Zaldy Co and company lodged the obligations in the unprogrammed funds. Nagkaroon ng delays kasi pag unprogrammed, yung revenue nyan, kung may sobra tayong ibabayad. So yung mga obligations natin were delayed sa mga suppliers. Kaya na-push back lahat for 2 years,” he said, noting that the subway was originally expected to be operational by 2028.
“We do not want a repeat of what happened before. I will make sure that all the foreign-assisted projects and the government participation will now be in the programmed appropriations,” he added.
Ejercito also stressed that while seeking accountability and reforms in the wake of the flood control corruption scandal is important, infrastructure development should not be hampered.
“Of course we need to prioritize accountability. Lahat ng nagkasala sa flood control, kailangan talaga managot. That was the biggest scam ever kaya nagkaroon ng reforms. But we need to strike a balance. We need to accelerate spending. Our economy depends so much on public spending and infrastructure,” he added.