Senate Deputy Majority Floor Leader and former Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar lauded the move by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create an inter-agency committee to speed up the acquisition of rights-of-way (ROW), saying this will be crucial to managing the cost of vital rail transportation infrastructure project and in ensuring that timelines are met.
Villar cited the issuance by Marcos of Administrative Order (AO) 19 which authorized the said committee to “study and devise an efficient and collaborative mechanism to streamline the process of land acquisition necessary for railway projects implementation”.
These projects include the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR), the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), and the planned Mindanao Railway Project (MRP).
The committee will be co-chaired by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar. They are joined by the secretaries of Environment and Natural Resources, Budget and Management, Social Welfare and Development, Finance, Justice and the Office of the Solicitor General. The Philippine National Railways (PNR) was designated as the secretariat of the committee.
Villar said the acquisition of ROW is “pivotal” to the success of infrastructure projects. “ROW or the permission to gain access or acquire land or property enables the implementation of vital infrastructure projects,” he said. “Without ROW, a project cannot move forward and its intended objectives cannot be achieved.”
“Legal property disputes can lead to delays and increased expenses potentially, straining government budgets and prolonging project timelines,” Villar said.
He cited the 35.7-kilometer Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLex) which, he said, faced delays because of ROW problems. He said this was the similar challenge which “hindered the Metro Manila Subway Project” which only had some 55 percent of the necessary ROW as of February of this year.
Villar underscored the role of local governments in the resolution of ROW concerns within their respective jurisdictions. He said LGUs should actively engage in discussions to resolve any community-level issue.