Mindanao rail funds doubtful

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) has yet to secure funding for the long-delayed Mindanao Railway Project, prompting renewed calls in the Senate for a clear timeline and financing plan for the proposed train system.

During the Senate deliberations on the DoTr’s proposed 2027 budget on 18 September, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go questioned the absence of a specific allocation for the project and asked the department to clarify its status.

“For many years, our people in Mindanao have waited for a modern railway system. Mindanaoans have been waiting for this for a long time,” Go said.

“We noticed that there is no budget for the Mindanao Railway for the coming year. We want to know its status,” he added.

Go urged the DoTr to provide a concrete timeline and financing direction to prevent the project from remaining indefinitely at the planning stage.

Where’s the timetable?

“We hope that the DoTr will provide us with a clear direction and timeline for this project and ensure that it does not remain merely a plan on paper,” he said.

“Mindanao deserves the same sustained investment in mass transportation and connectivity that we are pursuing in other parts of the country.”

The proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) does not contain a separate allocation for the Mindanao Railway Project.

During earlier House budget deliberations, transportation officials said the DoTr was continuing to explore potential foreign and multilateral financing for the project.

Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez told the Senate that the DoTr had requested funding for the railway, but the project was not included in the NEP.

He said the department was nevertheless using its general right-of-way fund to continue acquiring properties needed along the railway’s planned alignment.

Release cash subsidies

Go also renewed his call for the government to ensure sufficient funds are readily available for fuel subsidies, particularly for public utility drivers and other sectors whose livelihoods are immediately affected by rising petroleum prices.

The Department of Energy has pegged the latest increase at P8.82 per liter for diesel, P4.88 per liter for gasoline, and P6.47 per liter for kerosene amid continued volatility in international petroleum markets.

The latest increase comes just a week after gasoline went up by P5.68 per liter, diesel by P4.31 per liter, and kerosene by P4.62 per liter, further adding to the expenses faced by motorists, transport workers, commuters and households.