MANILA, July 3 — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is in talks with the Supreme Court over the creation of a court that will resolve cases involving right of way (ROW) issues possibly within the year.
“We are already in the process. In fact, we have talks already with the Supreme Court to create precisely that (court). So overall, we are working on that now,” DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said in an interview on the sidelines of a forum on Duterte administration’s infrastructure plan hosted by the Asian Development Bank.
Villar bared that the High Court was amenable to the establishment of the ROW court in the country, noting it was just a question of implementation.
“Administrative, for budgeting, etc., there has to be that component. Or maybe existing courts that are not so busy that we can convert so we are studying all options,” he said.
The DPWH chief noted the court aimed to ensure a speedy disposition of ROW thus could result in fast-track implementation of infrastructure projects.
“There is a saying that you deliver the ROW, and you deliver the project right away… There is a renewed focus on ROW issues,” he said in a forum.
Villar said the government this year would spend PHP847.2 billion for infrastructure development, or 5.3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“This is the boldest, most ambitious infrastructure in the history of our country. That is why we call the golden age of infrastructure,” he added.
For his part, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Rolando Tungpalan shared the view that the creation of the ROW court could speed up project implementation. (Leslie D. Venzon/PNA)
