NEDA body endorsing MRT-3 rehab deal to Duterte for approval

USERS of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) can expect relatively trouble-free commuting along this railway by 2021, under the timetable of a rehabilitation project that edged closer to final approval late this week.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said in a press statement on Friday that its Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee approved on Thursday the P22.061-billion project — financed by a loan from Japan and to be implemented by the Department of Transportation — that will restore, upgrade and assure regular maintenance of the 18-year-old railway that connects the north and south ends of Metro Manila.
TIMETABLE
“It is set to start implementation in the third quarter of 2018 and be completed in the first quarter of 2021,” the statement read.
Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said in an interview in The Chiefs aired Thursday on Cignal TV’s One News channel that he expects the deal to be signed with Sumitomo Corp. “by the end of August; if not… mid-September.”
“Dokumento na lang po ang ginagawa (The contract is being finalized),” Mr. Tugade said, adding that MRT 3’s rehabilitation can be completed in “32-34 months.”
“The whole of MRT will be repaired — from coaches to the rails,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English, while NEDA’s statement said the project will increase number of train sets in operation to 18 from 15 per hour and enable them to reach a maximum speed to 60 kilometers per hour, among other performance criteria.
The project will now be taken up for approval by the NEDA Board, which is chaired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
The same statement quoted Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia, who heads NEDA as director general, as describing the project as a key solution to Metro Manila’s worsening traffic. “With the upcoming rehabilitation of the MRT 3, we expect improvements in service efficiency and security of the existing train line,” Mr. Pernia said. “Over the long term, we envision the MRT to be a very convenient and efficient mode of transportation that will encourage car owners to shift to public transportation, thereby reducing traffic congestion in Metro Manila.”
In Thursday’s meeting, the ICC Cabinet Committee also approved the request of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to cancel the €28.52-million loan from France in favor of using local funds for the Integrated Marine Environment Monitoring System-Phase 2 (PHILO II). PHILO II aims to integrate databases including fishing vessel registry, ocean and weather data, stock assessment data, as well as records on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan and Charmaine A. Tadalan