Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista is encouraging foreign investors to help finance the country’s major infrastructure projects in aviation, railways, maritime and road transport.
The DOTr handles more than 160 projects including 74 infrastructure flagship projects with a cumulative value of P4.78 trillion which are being implemented across various sectors.
To expand partnership and collaboration opportunities, Bautista presented the various projects and programs as part of efforts to elevate the country’s transportation system to global standards.
“We hope that you can connect us to interested investors who will appreciate the business viability of our transport infrastructures. We welcome foreign participation in financing our infrastructure projects under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement or PPP,” Bautista said in his remarks speech at a forum in Manila.
For the aviation sector, DOTr is set to turn over to the private sector the Bohol-Panglao International Airport and the Laguindingan Airport in Northern Mindanao.
Bohol-Panglao International Airport is slated for an upgrade involving a P3.8-billion project that will extend the runway and expand the terminal to increase capacity from two million to 4.9 million passengers annually.
Capacity increase is also the goal of Laguindingan Airport’s expansion — from 1.6 million passengers to almost six million.
Both Bohol-Panglao and Laguindingan airports have received unsolicited proposals from private sector proponents.
Other airport projects under expansion and upgrade include the Bukidnon, Catbalogan and Caticlan airports, Tacloban’s terminal and runway as well as the transfer of Dumaguete, Siargao, Zamboanga and Masbate airports.
For the road sector, the DOTr has the EDSA Walkway concourse that will run parallel to the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) line 3 connecting it to other modes of public transport.
The EDSA Busway is also being replicated in Cebu and Davao.
At present, the 13-kilometer Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) main line is under construction throughout the major highways of Metro Cebu and will be complemented by another 22 km of feeder line. The whole Cebu BRT system will have 76 bus stops, extending to other cities and municipalities in Cebu province.
The massive Davao Public Transport Modernization Program launched last February in Davao City involves the construction of more than 600 km of road networks for use by more than a thousand public buses and other public utility vehicles, including 300 electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Light Rail Transit (LRT)-1 extension to Cavite and the MRT-7 are scheduled to start partial operations in 2025.
“The first railway project we expect to be completed is the LRT-1 Cavite Extension. Partial operation is scheduled early next year, with the opening of the first five stations,” Bautista said.
Another much-anticipated rail line is MRT-4 which will run from Taytay in eastern Rizal towards EDSA along the constricted stretch of Ortigas Avenue.
The country’s longest rail line yet, the 147-km North-South Commuter Railway is undergoing construction at full speed from Clark to Calamba, Laguna.
“In the future, this Philippine National Railways line will further extend from Calamba all the way to Bicol for the South Long Haul Rail project. The South Long Haul Rail stretches for 565 kilometers with 35 stations,” Bautista said.
The biggest rail project is the Metro Manila Subway, called the crown jewel of Philippine transportation. Its construction started in the Valenzuela Station towards North Avenue Station.
For the maritime sector, the Philippine Ports Authority has dozens of seaport projects up for expansion and upgrade, Bautista said.
