Friday, January 02, 2009 [ manilatimes.net ]
MINDANAO lawmakers on New Years Day urged President Gloria Arroyo to allocate a budget for the construction of the first Mindanao Railways System.
Speaker Prospero Nograles said the railway system could be the missing link in bringing long-lasting peace to war-torn areas of Mindanao.
After assuming the number four post in the government, Nograles, the first Speaker to hail from Mindanao, vowed to pursue the Mindanao Railways System project as a vital part of President Gloria Arroyo’s long-term development plan to realize development in Mindanao.
“We are not sleeping on our people’s aspirations,” he said, citing an updated report on the bidding process for the conduct of railway feasibility studies for the Mindanao Railways System made by Department of Transportation and Communications Undersecretary for Railways Guiling Mamondiong.
Nograles said besides President’s support, the House of Representatives is working hard to realize this long-overdue program to provide Mindanao a “reliable, efficient and viable” transportation network.
He cited five separate but similar bills filed by Representatives Sonny Angara of Aurora, Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur, Raul Gonzalez Jr. of Iloilo, Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City, and Pedro Romualdo of Camiguin, all seeking to establish a Mindanao Railways Authority.
All these measures are under urgent consideration and being consolidated by the House Committee on Transportation chaired by Rep. Monico Puentevella of Bacolod City in coordination with the committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization headed by Rep. Felix Alfelor Jr. of Camarines Sur and the Committee on Mindanao Affairs chaired by Rep. Datu Pax Mangudadatu of Sultan Kudarat.
Angara, the House deputy majority leader, in his House Bill 158, proposed the creation of the Mindanao Railways Corp., saying “Mindanao has long been a neglected area, and this had caused unrest, resentment, even rebellion from some native groups. We have to reverse this if we want to achieve peace and progress not only in Mindanao but in the entire country as well.”
He said the proposed railroad, which would crisscross Mindanao, if passed into law, “ will accelerate economic activity, immensely benefiting the traders and businessmen.”
The railroad will hopefully connect the various urban centers and provincial capitals in Mindanao such as Davao City, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga City, Cotabato City, Marawi, Pagadian, Dipolog and other potential areas of development.
On the other hand, Iloilo City’s Gonzalez even went further to propose a “super body” to exercise control and supervision over the Philippine National Railways, Light Railway Transit authority, Panay Railways, North Luzon Railway Corp. and all other railway offices existing in the country today, including the proposed Mindanao Railways Corp.
In a November 5 report to the Speaker, Usec. Mamondiong said that since August 2008, the bidding process for the conduct of the railway studies for the Mindanao Railway System had started the revision of the feasibility study for the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor segment; Pre-feasibility study for the Cagayan de Oro-Davao-General Santos line; technical assessment for the Iligan-Zamboanga section; and strategic Railway Development Plan for Mindanao.
Mamondiong also told Nograles that the strategic Railway Development Plan for Mindanao, including the pre-feasibility study for the Cagayan de Oro-General Santos segment and the Technical Assessment for the Iligan-Zamboanga section would be completed by the 3rd quarter of 2009.-- Sammy Martin
