transport system

PBBM Sees Job Generation With Improvement of Philippines Transport System

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. believes that the improvement of the public transport system in the country will create more jobs for Filipinos.

In his speech Friday during the ceremonial signing of the contract package of the electromechanical systems and track works for the North-South Commuter Railway System (NSCRS), the President said thousands of jobs will be generated by the project’s implementation.

“​​Ladies and gentlemen, we recognize the fact that an efficient transportation system will have a multiplier effect on employment and on the economy,” the President said.

“Furthermore, it will strengthen what we have seen our weaknesses in the supply chain, that have been brought about by the pandemic economy, that have been brought about by the crisis in Ukraine and that we now must attend to if we are going to be able to say that we will grow the economy, that we will make it stronger, we will make it more sustainable, and we will make it more effective at improving the lives of our countrymen,” President Marcos pointed out.

The chief executive described the project as a “landmark initiative” that will make the Philippines more connected than ever as “these endeavors will mark a new era of prosperity for the Philippines at a time when we are navigating ourselves in what has become called the New Normal.”

The President thanked the Department of Transportation for the milestone project that will significantly reduce the travel time between Clark International Airport and Calamba City, Laguna upon its completion.

“Indeed, this service that you have shown in materializing our grand vision [of] a Philippines [that]is ready to take on the future, is a very important part of the transformation of our economy,” the President said.

President Marcos also thanked the Japanese government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the financial support in the implementation of CP NS-01 and for being active partners in the country’s infrastructure development.

“We are glad to have you with us as we continue to strengthen our relations built on mutual confidence and cooperation, a relationship that has gone on for many, many decades and I can say without fear of contradiction that the development of the Philippines, especially in terms of infrastructure has shown that Japan has taken a very, very important part in that,” the President said as he also thanked Mitsubishi Corporation for working with the Philippine government on CP NS-01.

The NSCRS is a 147.26-kilometer railway project that will connect Clark, Pampanga and Calamba City in Laguna. It is composed of the original NSCR Project, Malolos-Clark Railway Project (MCRP) and North-South Railway Project-South Line Commuter (NSRP), also known as the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP).

Once fully completed in 2029, the NSCR system is projected to reduce the travel time between the Clark International Airport and Calamba City from 4 hours to 2 hours.

The rail line is projected to accommodate 800,000 passengers per day.

The NSCRS has a total project cost of Php873.62 billion and will be co-financed by the Asian Development Bank and JICA. (PND)

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