Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista yesterday ordered the contractors of the northern segment of the North-South Commuter Rail (NSCR) project to implement a catch-up plan after heavy rainfall and flooding caused delays in the construction.
Representatives from seven contractors and two general consultants for the NSCR’s northern segment, from Pampanga to Metro Manila, reported to Bautista how heavy rains and floods affected the ongoing civil works.
The project construction may be delayed by about 10 days to two weeks, according to a representative from one of the project’s general consultants
Floods hit the ongoing construction of several rail stations which were caused by the increasing volume of water in nearby rivers.
With this, the contractors are closely coordinating with several local government units (LGU) where the rail projects are situated.
Cleanup efforts and relief operations were also carried out by Sumitomo-Mitsui Construction Corp., the contractor for Contract Package 02, in coordination with LGUs which was beyond the scope of its work.
The entire 147-kilometer NSCR system aims to reduce travel time between Clark, Pampanga and Calamba, Laguna to just two hours and service over 800,000 passengers daily once operational.
The P873.6-billion NSCR project is co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank, of which the latter is providing P329.6 billion and the former, P369.3 billion, while the Philippine government has allocated P174.8 billion.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) aims to implement the fuel subsidy program by the end of August, once funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) are released.
The DOTr said the government is set to release P2.95 billion in fuel subsidy for 1.64 million public utility vehicle drivers to cushion the impact of higher fuel prices.
In line with this, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and DOTr are coordinating with the DBM for the submission of budgetary documents to ensure the expedient release of funds.
For the delivery service riders, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry, is completing the master list of beneficiaries which will be the basis of the LTFRB in distributing the fuel subsidy.
The DICT coordinates with the delivery companies, particularly the PEMEDES operators that comprise service providers delivering courier services.
Around 120,000-150,000 eligible delivery service riders will receive subsidies based on the guidelines to be released by the DICT. – Myla Iglesias
