Speech by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Inspection of the Metro Manilasubway Project (MMSP) – Shaw Boulevard Station and Groundbreaking Ceremony of the MMSP – Kalayaan Avenue And Bonifacio Global City (BGC) Stations

Thank you to our Transportation Secretary, Giovanni Lopez.

[Please be seated.]

His Excellency, the Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency, Ambassador Endo Kazuya, who always has me as a disadvantage because his Tagalog is much, much better than my Japanese; Senator JV Ejercito who has joined us this morning; the memnbers of the House of Representatives; Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Engr. Joshua Bingcang; Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA Chief Representative Takashi Baba; Taguig City Mayor Maria Laarni Cayetano; our partners from the private sector; fellow workers in government; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

Today, we proved to the world something we thought – we once thought would be impossible: a subway in Metro Manila.

I join with you in our optimism and excitement as we gather here for the groundbreaking of the Kalayaan Avenue and Bonifacio Global City or BGC stations.

This segment will link the Shaw Boulevard Station, which we just came from and we inspected. And I can – I’m happy to report that the progress is proceeding and the work is proceeding, and we are very much on schedule.

In fact, we are – from the original – from the original timetable, we have accelerated the process and we are moving even more quickly than that.

But that – this segment now will link Shaw Boulevard Station in Pasig to the Lawton Avenue Station in Taguig.

Earlier today, we inspected Shaw Boulevard.

The progress that we’ve witnessed there and in all of these projects demonstrates that implementation is fully and actively underway.

The station in BGC is projected to – the stations, bacause there are three, three of them, four – three or four – the three stations in BGC are projected to serve no less than 200,000 passengers per day in its opening year.

This means workers arriving on time, students getting home earlier, and our citizens regaining hours that we once lost to congestion.

Once the entire 33 kilometer stretch of the Metro Manila Subway system is fully operational, the travel time from Valenzuela to BGC will be reduced from one and a half hours to just 29 minutes. [applause]

This will also significantly improve airport connectivity.

From Quezon City to Manila Airport, the travel time will be shortened from more than one hour to 35 minutes.

More importantly, planned railway interconnections will allow seamless transfers at key stations.

At North Avenue, the subway will connect to LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7.

At the Anonas Station, it will connect to LRT-2.

At the Ortigas Station, it will link with the proposed MRT-4.

The subway is also designed for interoperability with the North-South Commuter Railway, strengthening Metro Manila’s connectivity to all the nearby provinces.

This is the scale of transformation that we are building. And this brings us closer to a fully connected subway that will redefine mobility in our nation’s capital.

It also brings us closer towards restoring dignity to daily travel and reaffirming our confidence in what we can achieve as a nation.

For decades, traffic in the Metro Manila has been more than an inconvenience. It has been a constant consideration affecting our daily decisions. It influences where we work, where we study, and how we plan our lives.

Some students hesitate to enroll in their dream school because the commute will take two hours or more, one way.

Others decline promising job offers because the cost of commuting to work will outweigh the salary and mean less time for family.

And this is not the kind of future that we want for our kababayans.

And that is why this Administration is determined to address these problems by providing sustainable, long-term solutions. This subway is one of those solutions.

This project is part of a broader effort to improve our public transport system becau… For … In that regard, we have this year, released more than PhP 49 billion for the Railway Sector under the DOTr.

We continue enhancement works in key stations, including the MRT-3 Quezon Avenue Station, to improve passenger flow and accessibility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

To help our commuters save on expenses and make daily travel more convenient, we issued discounted beep cards and implemented cashless payments in MRT-3.

We have also made free Wi-Fi available in all of its stations, as well as in several EDSA Busway Stations to ensure greater comfort and connectivity for our passengers.

The Love Bus Libreng Sakay Program continues to operate in Metro Manila, in Cebu, and in Davao.

All these we do because we want future generations to no longer worry about traffic and distance when they make their life choices.

At this juncture, I wish to recognize the BCDA and Megaworld Corporation for granting the DOTr a perpetual easement of right-of-way for the construction of the stations. [applause]

Thank you for you help and assistance.

Because this means that this project begins construction with 100 percent of the required right-of-way already secured.

And anyone familiar with this kind of transport project, large-scale transport projects, will know and will remember that it is the right-of-way that is the hardest part of that project.

And this again is an example of what we can achieve when we take on as our full partners in development the private sector and work together – work together well to gain this kind of success.

I also wish to express, of course, our deepest appreciation to the Government of Japan and to JICA for their continuing steadfast support which we have enjoyed over many decades.

With the scale and complexity of this project, we are exercising careful oversight and close coordination among all the implementing agencies and all our partners.

We remain committed to sustain the momentum and to ensure that this project proceeds with discipline, transparency, and accountability.

Certainly, this project will outlast this Administration but its benefits and impact will endure, serving generations of Filipinos yet to come.

Ladies and gentlemen, a subway beneath our city also serves as a foundation for a greater nation above it.

Let us continue this work with genuine commitment to improving the everyday lives of every single Filipino.

Panahon na upang matuldukan ang dekadang paghihirap ng ating mga komyuter.

Hangad natin ang ligtas, mabilis, at kumportableng biyahe, dahil ang oras ng bawat Pilipino ay mahalaga, at bawat minutong matitipid ay oras na maigugugol ninyo kasama ang inyong mga pamilya.

Thank you very much.

Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas.

[applause]

Maraming-maraming salamat at magandang umaga sa inyong lahat.

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