Reallocate some funds to EDSA Busway rehab, urges MAP

The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) has called on the government to reallocate funds to the EDSA Busway, citing the “badly needed” infrastructure component of the project that only has five dedicated stations out of the 20 that are needed.

The business group said it made the appeal to the government through letters sent to Acting Department of Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Senate Committee on Public Services chair Senator Rafael “Raffy” Tulfo, and House of Representatives Committee on Transportation chair Representative Franz Pumaren.

“The MAP, as the proponent of the EDSA Busway System, urges the inclusion in the 2026 budget of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) the funds to complete the badly needed infrastructure component of this long-delayed project,” the letter read.

“The Congress now has the opportunity to provide the budget for the vital Busway-dedicated stations which can be easily completed in 2026 when bidded out in batches to large reputable contractors,” it added.

The DOTr earlier announced plans to construct stations in Cubao in Quezon City and in the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) next year, on top of the rehabilitation of the existing stations — Monumento, Bagong Barrio, North Avenue, and Guadalupe.

“As a proper transport system in Metro Manila, the Busway requires its own dedicated stations. In addition to other ancillary facilities, this system must be equipped with overhead bridgeway to the station platforms along the road median beside the MRT3 trackway, and provided with convenient access for the physically-challenged commuters,” the MAP letter read.

“But to date, sadly, there has been no meaningful budget allocation for this infrastructure, except for a few hundred million pesos while the Busway project has been waiting for the long-delayed privatization to happen,” it added.

The DOTr in February defended the Busway as “one of the most efficient public road transport systems in Metro Manila,” after transporting 63 million passengers in 2024. There were 5.5 million commuters serviced in January 2025 alone, an average of 177,000 daily riders.

“We should have a roadmap for programming a comprehensive MM Busway System that will complement the other rail systems now existing and under construction or being planned,” MAP said.

“This EDSA Busway System is the only mass transport system that can be completed within one year and it should be done as soon as possible,” it added.

The letter was signed by MAP president Alfredo Panlilio, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chair Eduardo Yap.

The letter comes as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. last week ordered the transfer of P255.5 billion originally earmarked for flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to priority programs of other government agencies, amid Congressional probes on alleged anomalies on such projects.

The transfer includes P1 billion to the DOTr for the rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT). — BM, GMA Integrated News