Marcos: More businesses, economic activities expected with subway project

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said more economic activities are expected with the Metro Manila Subway Project.

Marcos graced the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard stations of the Metro Manila Subway Project (Contract Package 104) in Pasig City.

With the groundbreaking of the portion of the subway system, Marcos expressed hope that the general public would soon enjoy its benefits.

He mentioned that this kind of project would generate more economic activities for the public aside from saving the public from the “perils of commuting.”

“With accessible designated stations that can cater to a massive volume of passengers, we anticipate helping our people skip the long lines of traffic and even spare themselves from the perils of commuting,” Marcos said in his keynote message.

“With improving linkages of key areas in business districts in the metro as well as the availability of stalls and other stores in the stations and nearby markets, we can see more business opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors and additional economic activity,” he added.

Marcos, meanwhile, encouraged the public to be positive and instead take the inconveniences brought by the construction of the subway system as a “small prize to pay” for its beneficial results.

“Although it is a given that the construction of these structures will take time and cause disruption, let us be optimistic and just count the small inconveniences as a small prize to pay for the fruitful results that this program, this project will yield,” Marcos said.

“Let the breaking ground of this subway system signal our intention to the world to pursue even grander dreams and more ambitious endeavors that will bring comfort and progress to our people all over the country,” he added.

In a separate interview with reporters, Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez said road closures because of the construction of the stations would only have minimal effect to motorists.

"Sa tingin ko ay hindi masyadong mararamdaman sapagkat 'yung kahabaan ng Ortigas ay bukas, malayang makakapunta ang ating mga kababayan sa Meralco Avenue patungong DepEd at both sides sapagkat tuloy-tuloy ho ito," Chavez said.

"Ang masasara lang ay Meralco Avenue, 250 meters, mula doon sa may Shaw Boulevard. May rerouting tayo dito at ang rerouting ng traffic dito ay matagal na pinag-aralan ng LGU Pasig traffic, ng MMDA traffic, ng LTFRB traffic, kasama na ang Mandaluyong LGU," he added.

Chavez, meanwhile, said another issue that they are facing are the relocation of the utilities that will be affected by the construction.

"Right of way, ROW, pero ang number one maliban sa right of way issues, well on right of way is basically relocation of utilities. Halimbawa dito sa Ortigas, hindi kaagad magsisimula 'yung paghuhukay sapagkat ang uunahin dito ay ang relocation ng utilities, Meralco, Manila Water, Pasig canal, drainage system, mga telcos katulad ng Converge, ng PLDT, ng Globe," he said.

"Ito 'yung mga nakikita natin sa paligid ay ide-demolish sila... therefore, sa loob ng anim hanggang walong buwan, ang unang gagawin ay idemolish 'yung mga building dito na nakapaloob sa halos isang ektarya..." he added.

The entire MMSP, which has an approved project cost of over P488 billion, is supported by loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Once operational, the subway can accommodate more than 519,000 passengers a day. It aims to reduce travel time from Valenzuela to Bicutan to 45 minutes.

The entire contract package is nearly 3.4 kilometers long with two stations connected by 920.5 meters tunnel and extends further to 1.86 kilometers tunnel connecting Shaw Boulevard to Kalayaan Avenue Station in Taguig City.—AOL, GMA News