Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday assured to continue and expedite existing transportation projects.
In a statement, Dizon said continuity is “key” to completing transport projects that will benefit the public.
“Kailangan habang pinapasa ang baton, imbes na bumabagal, kailangan pang pinapabilis. Kailangan natin magtrabaho ng mas maigi, kailangan natin pabilisin ito (With the passing of the baton, we need to expedite instead of slowing down. We need to work even harder so we can finish this quicker),” he said.
Dizon cited big-ticket projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), Metro Manila Subway, privatization of regional airports, as well as the EDSA Busway and construction of the EDSA Greenways Project, among others.
“Let's roll up our sleeves and let's get to work to get things done,” he said.
Dizon further said the privatization or seeking more public-private partnerships (PPP) for critical transport infrastructure is critical to improving the country’s transportation system.
“We will really push that forward because [privatization] to my mind, and especially to the mind of our President [Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.], is the way to go to make transport services more efficient,” he said.
Dizon lauded former DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista’s efforts in the privatization of several transport projects, including the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Laguindingan Airport, and Bohol-Panglao International Airport.
“The biggest contribution of Sec. Jimmy in such as short span of time is really the massive privatization effort beginning obviously with the NAIA privatization,” he said.
In addition to these airport projects, Dizon said the operations and maintenance of the EDSA Busway and the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) are both up for privatization.
In particular, he said the feasibility study for the EDSA Busway is set to be completed in a few months and its contract is expected to be awarded by the end of 2026.
On the other hand, the terms of reference for the MRT-3, for both its solicited and unsolicited proposals, are being ironed out by the DOTr, the PPP Center, and the Asian Development Bank.
Article courtesy of the Philippine News Agency
