Statement on the On the House Resolution filed by Cong. Paolo Z. Duterte and ACT-CIS Party List Rep. Eric Yap on the Mindanao Railway Project
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) welcomes House Resolution 2321 introduced by Davao City Congressman Paolo Duterte and ACT-CIS Party-List Representative Eric Yap, regarding the issue of Right-of-Way (ROW) acquisition for the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP).
We understand that some stakeholders of the MRP, such as property owners and other persons affected by its alignment, may have issues and concerns with the ongoing ROW acquisition activities, which DOTr and its Project Management Office (PMO) have been addressing, and continue to seek to address, both directly in coordination meetings, public consultations, and engagements with the affected persons, and also in other venues, including the committee hearing that may be convened by Congress.
DOTr welcomes the opportunity to present to the distinguished committee members the actual process of ROW acquisition, as well as address stakeholders’ concerns.
We wish to assure the committee of the DOTr’s fullest cooperation and transparency, aligned with our commitment to implementing this long overdue mega transport project for Mindanao.
In this light, allow us to respectfully note that DOTr is not the entity that directly undertakes the appraisal of properties that need to be acquired for the construction of MRP. Pursuant to the Right-of-Way Act, such appraisal is being undertaken by Intech Property Appraisal, Inc., an Independent Property Appraiser (IPA) accredited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), with technical and engineering support provided by the project’s Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed Project Preparation, Design, and Tender Consultant, Ove Arup & Partners.
As guided by Secretary Art Tugade, the DOTr’s relentless pursuit of game-changing initiatives that would enable our country to leapfrog into modernity and progress, will be implemented with the utmost commitment to upholding the best interest of the country, and the Filipino people.
Everything in this major project will be in accordance with the highest standards of good governance and prevailing laws and procedures on project implementation.
We most appreciate and thank Representatives Duterte and Yap for providing us this opportunity to be able to present at length the Mindanao Rail Project, and its significance to the transformational initiative of the Duterte Administration to vastly improve our mass transportation system. -rir
