Bongbong Marcos wants to revive ‘Bicol Express’ train route

Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he would prioritize the transportation system in the Bicol Region, particularly the "Bicol Express," should he win in the 2022 presidential race.

"Madalas nating marinig noon ang salitang ‘Bicol Express’ patungkol sa mga tren na bumibyahe sa rehiyon. Sa paglipas ng panahon ay naging palasak na lang ang katagang ito na tumutukoy sa pangunahing sistema ng transportasyon na ngayon ay bilang isang masarap na pagkain ng mga Bicolano,” Marcos said in a statement issued Wednesday.

(We have heard of the 'Bicol Express' before as the trains which traveled to the region. At present, we barely hear this as the main mode of transportation as it is now fondly referred to as a Bicolano dish.)

“Ibabalik natin ang ‘Bicol Express’ ng higit na maayos at epektibo sa panahon ng ating panunungkulan,” Marcos said.

(We will revive the Bicol Express in a more efficient way under our leadership.)

The Marcos camp said the route from Manila to Bicol in 1931 had been popularly known as the "Bicol Express."

As a dish, the Bicol Express has been known for its unique flavors as it is made with coconut milk, pepper, and meat and was invented by a woman named Cely Kalaw.

Stories said it was just a nameless dish then, and it went on until Kalaw heard a train that was going to the Bicol Region. As such, the dish was named Bicol Express.

According to the Marcos camp, the Bicol Express "slowly deteriorated" in the 1970s due to security issues, the proliferation of air-conditioned buses, calamities, and the Mayon Volcano explosion in 1993.

The railways were also damaged due to the onslaught of strong typhoons that hit the region. This led to the suspension of the said route, they said.

In 2006, the railways were badly damaged after the onslaught of typhoons Milenyo and Reming, which finally led to the suspension of the Bicol-Manila route.

Marcos said the improvement of the railway system under his governance would be aligned with the continuity of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Build Build Build program.

He, however, said he would also be open to talks with big companies, which are willing to finance its rehabilitation via the Public-Private Partnership program.

"Hindi naman siguro tayo nakakalimot na ang tren na biyaheng Bicol ay hindi lang nagbigay ng malaking kaginhawaan kung hindi nagdulot din ito ng malalim na kasiyahan sa ating mga kababayang Bicolano," Marcos said.

(We are not forgetting that the route is giving comfort to our kababayans in Bicol.)

"Ibalik natin ito pero mas pagandahin pa natin at pabilisin upang magsilbing pangunahing transportasyon ng mga Bicolano at mga dayuhang turista na naaakit sa ganda ng bayang ito,” Marcos added.

(We will revive this in a more efficient way so that this could be the number one mode of transportation for Bicolanos as well as for foreign tourists.)

Meanwhile, the construction works for the P142-billion first package of the Philippine National Railways South Long Haul project (PNR Bicol) will begin within the first quarter of 2022, the PNR earlier said. — RSJ, GMA News