Private sector pushes for ROW office to cut delays

The Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Infrastructure Sector has proposed creating a Right-of-Way (ROW) Office under the Office of the President to accelerate infrastructure projects.

PSAC said on Friday that lead convenor Sabin Aboitiz, who is also president and CEO of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, raised the recommendation during a 20 March meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The proposal aims to streamline land acquisition by assigning dedicated lawyers to ROW cases in priority sectors such as transportation, energy, telecommunications, and water.

To ensure funding continuity, the council recommended allocating a portion of the Motor Vehicle Users Charge for land purchases and reinstating a multi-year obligation allocation to secure long-term ROW financing.

It also urged the Department of Budget and Management and the Public-Private Partnership Center to align ROW budget planning with national projects to minimize delays.

“The ROW Office, certainly I think that we have to do it. We have to do something as this is something that always comes up and the main reason why we are always delayed and we have added cost,” Marcos was quoted as saying in the PSAC statement.

Marcos also called for a review of the proposed ROW bill, currently pending in the Senate, to explore integrating funding provisions, which he hoped would be passed before the end of the 19th Congress.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon reported that the government has implemented an Interim Rental Subsidy program to assist informal settler families affected by ROW acquisitions.

Under the program, displaced families receive P7,000 per month for 18 months while the Housing Department and local governments prepare relocation housing.

Dizon said the subsidy is already being applied to the Malolos-Clark railway project, where 2,500 informal settler families in Calumpit, Bulacan, as well as Angeles and San Fernando in Pampanga, are affected.

Beyond ROW concerns, PSAC also discussed infrastructure bottlenecks, including delays in the Unified Grand Central Station project, which is designed to connect LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7, and the Metro Manila Subway.

To address the lack of seamless connectivity between LRT-1 and MRT-3, the council proposed a temporary operational concept integrating the two lines' tracks and power systems to enable single-platform operations at UGCS.

The council also flagged deficiencies in the logistics and supply chain sector, particularly compliance gaps in maritime insurance requirements under the Maritime Industry Authority and the Philippine Ports Authority.

It recommended stricter enforcement, mandatory biannual reporting for maritime carriers, and an awareness program to help smaller carriers meet insurance obligations.