TAGUM CITY Mayor Allan S. Rellon signed on Dec. 17 the memorandum of agreement with the Department of Transportation (DoTr) that will pave the way for the release of a P500-million budget for the Mindanao Railway System. In a statement on Monday, the city government said the fund, part of the initial P5.6 billion allocation for the project, will be used to pay the owners of properties that are along the railway’s path and the 10-hectare main depot. Data from the City Planning and Development Office show that a total of 158 families will be affected. Under the agreement with the DoTr, the city government is tasked to prepare and submit a program of work for the acquisition of the affected lots, including related and ancillary activities. Actual payment to the affected property owners will also be carried out by the city. The local government said the “total fund to be spent on property payments, however, has yet to be ascertained pending the ground survey and land valuation activities, the cost of which will be dictated by prevailing market rates.” Construction of the Mindanao railway’s first segment, spanning the Digos-Davao-Tagum cities, is targeted to start in early 2019.

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