THE PHILIPPINE National Railways (PNR) North-Long Haul Inter-Regional Railway project’s feasibility study is set for completion by March next year, aligning with National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approval timelines that could fast-track its realization.

“Based on our timeline, we are targeting to end the pre-feasibility study by this year or January next year,” Manuel Francisco Bretaña, project development officer of the Department of Transportation (DoTr), told Wednesday’s hearing of the House Committee on the North Luzon Growth Quadrangle.

Mr. Bretaña voiced out considerations for new railway alignments due to the limitations of the old PNR north railways for high-speed rails. The planning committee is exploring various land assets for right-of-way, emphasizing the need to accommodate the larger turning radius of high-speed rails, which the old PNR alignment may not support.

The North-Long Haul is an 800-kilometer inter-regional railway project that will connect the capital region to the northern reaches of Luzon.

Since it would connect the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon, the railway project is also expected to link the Clark Freeport Zone, Poro Point, Laoag International Airport, Port Irene, and the La-lo Airport.

The railway will also be part of the Luzon Railway Network, the Subic-Clark Railway, and the South Long Haul.

The project is expected to reduce travel time and road congestion, as well as increase access to international ports, airports, and agricultural markets. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

THE UNITED States government recently launched a solar-powered boat on the island province of Palawan facing the South China Sea to speed up the delivery of basic services in remote areas especially during disasters.

The boat, called the Adlao Azul, was provided in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Energy Secure Philippines project.

USAID environmental officer Paul Brown said the agency “has been working closely with the national and local governments, as well as the private sector, to expand the use of renewable energy across different sectors such as transportation, agriculture, island electrification, and disaster response.”

The boat was developed by the Oceantera Energy Corporation through a P25-million ($452,000) grant.

It can run for six hours using US-made battery system and bifacial solar panels. The boat also has a cooler and freezer storage to keep food, vaccines, and medical supplies.

The boat seeks to reach primarily the islands of Coron, Culion, and Busuanga, which are about 300 kilometers away from the capital of the province, Puerto Princesa City.

“We look forward to our continued partnership with the private sector, particularly investors, resort owners, and boat operators to support a low-carbon ecosystem,” Mr. Brown said in a statement.

Joy Goco, former assistant secretary of the Climate Change Commission, said that boat “not only [addresses] climate change mitigation but also supports the livelihood and economy of communities.”

The USAID’s P1.6-billion ($34 million) Energy Secure Philippines project, which was launched in 2021, “seeks to mobilize investments, deploy modern energy technology, and support policy reforms for a more competitive energy sector” until 2026. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

A PHILIPPINE congressman on Wednesday said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could investigate the past administration’s deadly “war on drugs,” as a 2017 complaint filed against former president Rodrigo R. Duterte was under the time when the ICC had jurisdiction over the country.

“The jurisdiction of the ICC on covered crimes committed in the Philippines spans the period from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019,” Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman told the House joint committees on human rights and justice.

He noted that the Philippines first acceded to the Rome Statute, the ICC’s treaty, on Nov. 11, 2011, and formally withdrew on March 17, 2018. Under the Article 127 of the Rome Statue, the country’s withdrawal became effective a year after the filing, or on March 17, 2019.

Mr. Lagman said a verified complaint against Mr. Duterte and others for “purportedly committing crimes against humanity in the wake of the Duterte’s campaign against dealers and users of illegal drugs,” was filed on April 24, 2017.

“In other words, the complaint was filed when the ICC still had jurisdiction,” he said.

Mr. Lagman said he filed his own resolution asking the Philippine government to cooperate with the ICC’s probe on Mr. Duterte’s drug war.

He noted that the Philippine Supreme Court on July 22, 2021 ruled that the Philippines is obliged to cooperate with the ICC’s criminal proceedings in its investigation of the drug war.

“The subsequent withdrawal of the Philippines did not retroact and was continuing its jurisdiction up to March 16, 2019,” Mr. Lagman told reporters on the sidelines of the hearing.

Mr. Duterte’s successor and ally, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., earlier said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines, which formally withdrew from the body in March 2019.

The committees were deliberating on two House resolutions urging the Marcos administration to cooperate with the ICC’s investigation of Mr. Duterte’s drug war.

“By cooperating with the International Criminal Court, even after our withdrawal from the Rome Statute, we demonstrate that no one is above the law, and that we are accountable for our actions,” said Manila Rep. Bienvenido M. Abante, Jr., one of the authors of House Resolution (HR) No. 1477.

Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. France L. Castro, one of the authors of HR 1393, noted that while death penalty has long been scrapped in the Philippines, thousands were killed under Mr. Duterte’s anti-drug campaign without due process.

However, Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos, the President’s sister, reiterated her previous comments that the Philippines has a good justice system, and will not cooperate with the ICC.

Human rights group Karapatan said the resolutions “are expressions of widespread public sentiment” against the drug war as well as its enablers and perpetrators.

Another joint hearing will be conducted to invite more resource persons. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz