Ex-UK PM Tony Blair interested in supporting PH railway projects — DOTr chief Bautista

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL Time) that former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair is interested in backing the Philippines' railway projects.

Bautista is part of the Philippine delegation in Davos, Switzerland where President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is participating in the 2023 World Economic Forum.

"Me, personally I was able to share with Mr. Tony Blair the projects of the Department of Transportation and he was very interested in supporting, especially the railway projects of the government," Bautista said in an interview.

"And sabi nga nila (they actually said), it’s a very good performance and they hope that we will continue that good performance of the country," he added.

Earlier, Bautista revealed that the Department of Transportation has already secured more than $6 million for the feasibility studies of some railway projects.

According to Bautista, it is important to discuss the government's infrastructure projects with various industry leaders.

"After ng WEF [After the WEF], we are expecting that we will be able to implement the programs of the department, not only to help the Filipinos to have a very good transport experience but also to attract mga tourists natin," said Bautista.

The Palace earlier said Marcos' investment pitch for the Philippines received "a very positive response" from some of the world's top chief executive officers and investment experts.

Speaker Martin Romualdez has said "everyone was excited about the Philippine recovery story and agreed that it is the future investor haven for western capital." — RSJ, GMA Integrated News