State-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said it continues to advance the right-of-way (ROW) acquisition for the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) Railway project with the distribution of 36 transfer certificate of titles (TCTs) to landowners in Pampanga.
BCDA vice president and Subic-Clark Railway project director Jocelyn Caniones turned over the certificates to 17 lot owners from Porac and Floridablanca on March 4, 2025.
“The SCMB Railway Project would not succeed without the support of the landowners who yielded to the railway’s requirements. This development highlights their crucial role in realizing the Luzon Economic Corridor vision,” she said.
The project was the second batch of TCTs turned over for the SCMB Railway Project, following the initial distribution of 68 certificates in November last year.
Under Republic Act 10752 or the Right-of-Way Act, property owners and the implementing agency should execute a deed of absolute sale, with the agency facilitating the annotation of the sale on the TCTs—legal documents that serve as proof of land ownership.
The SCMB’s railway alignment spans 26.9 kilometers across Porac and Floridablanca, affecting 519 lots.
The BCDA said it successfully negotiated with 212 lot owners, with 163 already receiving partial or full compensation.
As a key component of the Luzon Economic Corridor, the 250-kilometer SCMB will enhance connectivity and freight transport across four major economic hubs—Subic, Clark, Manila, and Batangas—handling about 80 percent of the country’s port traffic.
The BCDA said it continues to facilitate ROW acquisition, and a feasibility study will be conducted jointly by the United States, Sweden and the Asian Development Bank.