It's all systems go for the purchase of 52 more train cars for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) in the P8.63 billion MRT 3 Capacity Expansion Project, which was approved by the board of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). This was done to increase the capacity of MRT, in response to future serious overloading or full-capacity problems.
Ten (10) other major infrastructure projects, seen as big boosters of Philippine economic growth in the coming years, were also given approval. The approved proposals, which came from the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), include:
- P9.76 billion Light Railway Transit Line 2 East Extension Project - extension of LRT 2 coverage by another 4.19 kilometers from the existing Santolan Station to the Masinag Junction (intersection of Marcos and Sumulong highways)
- P4.799 billion Bicol International Airport Project - construction of a new facility in Daraga, Albay; replacement of current Legazpi Airport
- P7.44 billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport Project - construction of a new airport at Panglao Island; replacement of existing Tagbilaran facility
- P6.12 billion Bridge Construction Acceleration Project for Calamity-Stricken Areas Phase II - replacement of 66 temporary bridges with steel ones across 15 regions
- P8.4 billion National Roads Bridge Placement Project - construction and replacement of 133 bridges across the country; use of UK-made pre-fabricated double-lane modular steel bridges
- P5-billion Funding for Flood Control Projects - creation of a flood management master plan for Metro Manila, rehabilitation of dikes, seawalls strengthening, river dredging, and construction of river control works
- P4.97 billion Restructuring of the Bridge Construction and Replacement Project - extension of the implementation of an existing project from January this year to December 2015
- P3.91 billion Change in Scope, Increase in Cost and Implementation Extension for the Mindanao Roads Improvement Project - change of implementation period from January this year to December 31, 2014
- P5.72 billion Strengthening of Angat Dam and Dike Project - rehabilitation of 44-year-old dam and its embankment structures; implementation by state-run Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS)
- P2.60 billion Agus 6 Hydroelectric Power Plant Uprating Project - shift in financing to on-lending by the national government from state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM)
Source: Interaksyon
