“These rising runways and railways may well become the silver linings that help carry the Philippines toward the better nation we all hope to see”
In uncertain times, nations look for signs of hope.
Today, the world is watching anxiously as tensions in the Middle East threaten to unsettle global markets, disrupt supply chains, and cast shadows over economic prospects.
For countries like the Philippines, which remain vulnerable to global shocks, the challenge is to stay steady and keep building.
And build we must as we hope and pray for world peace and for better days ahead.
Amid these uncertainties, two major infrastructure projects rising north of Metro Manila offer what many Filipinos might call silver linings—visible proof that even in turbulent times, the country continues to move forward.
These are the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan and the MRT-7 connecting Quezon City to Bulacan—both flagship undertakings led by San Miguel Corporation Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang (RSA).
Together, they represent more than large-scale infrastructure.
They embody confidence in the Philippines’ future. For decades, the country has struggled with the congestion and limitations of Ninoy Aquino International Airport which by stroke of fate is now efficiently managed and rehabilitated by RSA’s NNIC or the New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation under a long-term concession agreement with the Philippine government.
While efforts continue to modernize existing facilities, the reality is that the nation’s primary gateway has long exceeded its designed capacity.
The New Manila International Airport aims to change that narrative. Envisioned to handle up to 100 million passengers annually once fully developed, the Bulacan airport promises to become one of the region’s major aviation hubs.
With multiple runways, modern terminals, and integrated logistics facilities, the project is expected to boost tourism, expand trade, and stimulate economic activity in Central Luzon and beyond. Major airports often become catalysts for growth.
Around them rise business districts, logistics centers, hotels, and new communities. In Bulacan, the same potential is already being anticipated.
More so if lawmakers will legislate a new law creating a Special Economic Zone in the vicinity of the Bulacan airport.
Equally transformative is MRT-7, a railway system designed to serve millions of commuters traveling between Quezon City and Bulacan. For many years, motorists along Commonwealth Avenue have endured some of the most punishing traffic in Metro Manila. MRT-7 promises to ease that burden by providing faster and more reliable mobility for residents in the northern corridor.
When completed, the line will significantly shorten travel times and integrate with the capital’s broader rail network.
(The writer, president/chief executive officer of Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc. and president/executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-government outfit advocating tree-planting and environmental protection, is the official biographer of President Fidel V. Ramos.)
