President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday expressed optimism that the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) will be completed by 2028.

During a visit to the drilling site at Camp Aguinaldo Station, Marcos said the subway would cut travel time by 33 percent — from two hours to just 40 minutes.

“I hope we can dig through Valenzuela, and finish it by ‘28. So we can inaugurate it by 2028. Let’s see,” he said.

Marcos emphasized the need to expedite the construction to bring commuting comfort to Filipinos as soon as possible.

He also expressed admiration for the engineering expertise that Japan has brought to the project, which is being implemented in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“Impressive. It truly is impressive. If you look at it, you would think how big the engineering that they brought here,” he said. “But the Japanese do that the best, I think, in the whole world. It is recognized that the Japanese are one of the top — when it comes to heavy engineering and construction projects such as this,” he added.

Marcos said the Philippines made the right decision in partnering with Japan for the MMSP, noting that Filipino engineers are also benefiting from the collaboration.

“They’re not only here, they are also teaching our engineers. If you can see inside, there is only one, maybe two Japanese supervisors, and the rest of the workers are Filipinos,” he said. “Once again, I am not surprised because Filipinos can really do it if they are taught well.”

He also praised Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya, saying the envoy has been closely monitoring the project from Japan’s side.

“The Ambassador of Japan is here and he is in charge of making sure the work is done well, and I can say that the work they are doing is very good,” he said.

Once completed, the Metro Manila Subway will span 33 kilometers and feature 17 stations, connecting Pasay City to Valenzuela City, with a secondary line leading to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

A 30.34-hectare depot will also be constructed, which will house the Philippine Railway Institute.

The 17 stations include: East Valenzuela, Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas, Katipunan (Camp Aguinaldo), Ortigas Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Kalayaan Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Lawton East, Senate-DepEd, NAIA Terminal 3, FTI, and Bicutan.

More than 500,000 passengers are expected to use the subway daily once completed.