Bicam realigns P3.6B for LRT1 Cavite common station, fare system

The bicameral conference committee on Wednesday approved the request of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to realign P3.6 billion from its proposed 2026 budget to fund the common station of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension, as well as the automated fare collection system. 

On the fourth day of bicam deliberations, House Committee on Appropriations chairperson and Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing noted that the realignment would mainly come from the proposed budget for two foreign-assisted projects. 

Specifically, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, said that the proposed budget of the Metro Manila Subway Phase 1 and the North-South Commuter Railway System would have to be reduced by P1.8 billion each. 

“As much as possible, we really don’t want to touch projects under the foreign-assisted projects. However, we would like to make it very clear to the public that the request written to both Senator Sherwin and myself emanated from [Transport] Secretary Banoy [Lopez] and he himself identified these two projects as a source,” Suansing said. 

The bulk of the realignment would go to the LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension common station, amounting to P2 billion, while P1.04 billion would be transferred to the systems and facilities improvement of the fare collection system. 

The remaining P614.89 million, meanwhile, would go to the operation and maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT). 

Gatchalian said that he previously had a conversation with Lopez, who told him that the construction of the LRT1 Cavite extension common station has long been overdue. He said the transport secretary wishes to kick off the project by 2026. 

As for the automated fare collection system, the senator said the DOTr aims to utilize the latest technology for the convenience of the riding public.

Citing Lopez, Suansing also underscored the need to allocate additional funding for the operation and maintenance of the MRT.

“[This] emanates from the fact that if the common station is not finished by the first quarter of 2027, even if matapos daw po ‘yung MRT7 (the MRT7 gets completed) by the same time, there will be no connectivity to MRT3. So that’s why it's critical for us to fund this,” the House appropriations chair said. 

Suansing also warned that the absence of funding for the automated fare collection system may affect the usage of the Beep Cards on all of the rail lines in the country

“We will have to revert to cash payment if this is not funded,” she said.—LDF, GMA Integrated News