The Philippines finally will have a subway of its own to join other mega cities in Asia that have long built their underground electric railroad as a way to decongest traffic.
The Cabinet the other day approved the first phase of the Metro Manila Subway Project that will cost P355.6 billion to build. It is an ambitious project, initially stretching over 30 kilometers from Mindanao Ave. in Quezon City to Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City.
It may take a while to finish the subway project (set for construction from 2018 to mid-2025), which is to be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency at an interest of 0.10 percent a year, payable in 40 years with a grace period of 12 years. But the benefits from the modern mode of transportation will certainly outweigh the inconveniences of constructing the mammoth project.
Travel time from Mindanao Ave. to the FTI Complex in Taguig City, for one, is expected to take just 31 minutes onboard the subway rail project from the current dreadful three-hour trip. For Quezon City-based residents working on the southern edge of Metro Manila, the subway mode will be a welcome respite from their daily commuting struggle.
The second phase of the metro subway, meanwhile, will extend to Caloocan City or Meycauayan, Bulacan in the north to Dasmariñas, Cavite in the south. The length of the entire subway project and the shorter travel time will give workers increased quality time with their families. Labor productivity is also expected to increase with less weary workers able to perform better on their jobs.
The Transportation Department must see to it that construction of the subway project will proceed like clockwork and without much delay. The government owes it to the commuting public, who have agonized and long contended with a poor mass transportation service.
The subway project, like in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore, can finally make Metro Manila a modern metropolis. The government, thus, must use all its powers to get this job done.
