Makati City Mayor Abby Binay on Friday disclosed that the city government is currently in talks with a new domestic partner for its intra-city railway project.
Binay disclosed this after news broke out that Philippine Infradev Holdings Inc., its original partner for the multi-billion dollar Makati Subway System, tossed the shovel on the project due to the Supreme Court ruling that transferred several areas of Makati City to Taguig City.
“Kahit hindi matutuloy siya sa original proponent, we are currenty under negotiations with another group para para gawin pa rin. Hindi man siya maging subway or maging monorail siya or above ground, pero tuloy yung idea of building a local mass transportation within Makati,” Binay told reporters in an ambush interview.
Binay refused to disclose the firm that they are currently negotiating with for the new railway project.
“Hindi pwede pa i-disclose kung sino yung kausap namin for the new project,” she said.
“Unsolicited project siya eh. ‘Yung new partner kasi nga nalaman nila na hindi na nga matutuloy, so okay sige fine domestic yung magiging new partner. So again, pinag-aaralan pa, nandun pa lang kami sa feasibility stage,” she added.
Binay, who is running for the Senate in the upcoming elections, then vowed to push for the amendments to the Public-Private Partnership Code to hasten the process of pursuing infrastructure projects.
She said that the current PPP Law is “not encouraging” for local government units to pursue big infrastructure projects and the delays due to the requirements under the law discourage private proponents from seeking such ventures.
Meanwhile, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, whose family rules in Taguig City, expressed disappointment over the development that the Makati Subway System will no longer be pursued.
”It is unfortunate and truly disappointing that the project may no longer push through, especially considering its potential to address long-standing urban mobility challenges,” Cayetano said.
According to Cayetano, the City Government of Taguig “never rejected the project” and they were “never formally consulted” about the project.
“Taguig has always been open to projects that can provide real benefits to the public—and this includes the proposed subway. Records show that the officials of Taguig and the Cayetano’s do not look at the proponents of projects, but rather the benefits that it brings to the public,” Cayetano said.
Cayetanos and the Binays have been engaged in several political disputes over the years.
For his part, Senate public works committee chairman Bong Revilla tagged the development as “unfortunate” and hoped that the city governments of Taguig and Makati could find a way to push through with the project.
“Tulad ng mga kababayan nating umaasa sa proyekto, sana ay maayos pa at matuloy pa rin ito. I hope the two local governments of Makati and Taguig can find a way to make this work,” he said.
“Ang biggest roadblock lang dito ay baka kasi under the existing agreement, may commitments ang Makati na baka hindi naman magiging equitable or reasonable na i-expect for Taguig to commit without remuneration… We are hoping for a resolution benefiting the public,” he added.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also hoped that Makati City and the private proponent could “come up with win-win solutions so that it can avoid expensive litigation costs and the people of Makati, and maybe Taguig as well, can be given efficient transportation service.”
In December 2018, Infradev broke ground for the Makati Subway project.
Infradev and its Chinese partners Greenland Holdings Group, Jiangsu Provincial Construction Group Co. Ltd. Holdings Ltd., and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. were awarded the public-private partnership deal to undertake the Makati City Subway project by the Makati City government in 2019.
The $3.5-billion Makati Subway System project was originally planned to have 10 underground stations located at key destinations such as Ayala Triangle, Makati City Hall, and University of Makati.
As early as September 2023, Infradev has raised the alarm that the project could be derailed by the High Court’s ruling favoring Taguig.
It had said that “the depot and a few stations of the Makati City subway system will be in the affected areas.”
In particular, the subway project has a planned depot in Barangay Cembo, a planned station in the University of Makati in West Rembo, and another one in Ospital ng Makati in Pembo.
There were also plans to integrate the Makati subway with the MRT3, the Pasig River Ferry System, and the proposed Metro Manila Mega Subway.
The project was expected to be completed in 2025.
In 2021, however, the SC declared that the Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation, consisting of parcels 3 and 4, psu-2031, and the 10 affected barangays are part of the territory of Taguig City.
The 10 barangays are Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, Pitogo, Rizal, Northside, and Southside.
In June 2023, the SC rejected the Makati City government’s motion asking the High Court to allow it to file a second motion for reconsideration over its territorial dispute with Taguig City.
The Makati Subway project aimed to ease traffic congestion in Makati by providing an alternative transport service for up to 700,000 commuters, and to reduce by 270,000 the number of vehicles plying the city. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
