The Department of Transportation pushed to fast-track the development of projects under the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTMP) during a site visit on Thursday.

Department Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez led the inspection of the ongoing construction in the district of Calinan, Davao city of a depot and driving school.

Lopez was joined by Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chairman Leo Tereso Magno, DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastok and other officials.

The transportation secretary emphasized that the initiative to ensure that the already delayed construction of the DPTMP be completed in a timely manner was based on a direct order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

He also noted that the Davao network was going to be used as a framework for the execution of transport networks in different provinces.

“We want this DPTMP to be the template for other cities and we are quite confident that it can work here in Davao. Kailangan po natin dito simulan,” said Lopez.

Lopez urged the officials working on the project to work through any possible issues that they may encounter during the process and to coordinate with the local government to certify that each building had the necessary permits to operate.

The project began construction in February of 2023 after the city government of Davao was able to receive a loan from the Asian Development Bank worth P1.5 billion.

At the time, full operations of the DPTMP were set to begin in late 2025. However, expectations for the partial operations at the hub have since been moved to the fourth quarter of 2027 based on secretary Lopez.

Based on the DOTr, the DPTMP is anticipated to provide services to nearly 800,000 commuters daily, housing 386 electric buses, 531 regular buses, and 188 mini-buses.