The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has ordered the immediate payment to landowners who have agreed to sell their properties for the P81.6-billion Phase 1 of the Mindanao Railway Project to expedite the long-awaited infrastructure program. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the DOTr to accelerate land acquisition for the railway. Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the agency is in the process of completing other procedures to start the project as soon as possible. “We are speeding up the procedures but we need to go through the right process,” Lopez said. “This Mindanao Railway has been awaited for a long time because it is a big deal for the connectivity and mobility of our Mindanaoan compatriots,” he said. The 100.2-kilometer Phase 1 will consist of eight stations and is expected to serve 122,000 passengers daily, cutting travel time from Tagum City to Digos City from three hours to an hour. Data from the department showed that as of Nov. 26, at least 3,291 or 92 percent of the 3,548 land parcels needed across Davao, Panabo, Tagum, Carmen, Santa Cruz and Digos have been served a notice of taking. Of the total parcels, 1,105 offers to buy have been accepted and 381 landowners signed the deed of sale. The DOTr said it is updating the project’s feasibility study to ensure its viability and sustainability. The funding for the land acquisition is already in place. Lopez also acknowledged local governments, saying they are a great help in accelerating the projects. Once the entire 1,544-kilometer Mindanao Railway Project is completed, the rail system is designed to connect key provinces including Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Butuan, Surigao, and Malaybalay, which is expected to pump prime Mindanao’s economy.
