DOTr highlights gains in past 6 years

MANILA: As the current administration winds down its term, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade highlighted the improvements made by the agency for the Filipino people since the President Duterte took office in 2016.

Tugade stated in his speech during the Duterte Legacy Summit at the PICC in Pasay City that the DOTr has accomplished 250 airport and aviation projects, 1,200 kilometers of completed and ongoing railway projects, 579 completed and 163 ongoing maritime projects, and several other projects in road transport and various transportation sectors in the past six years.

He stated that these developments are in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's marching order to "make the Filipino life comfortable and convenient," despite the country's transportation system being "50 years" behind at that time.

“The DOTr had to take low-hanging fruits, medium-term, and long-term plans,” Sec. Tugade stated.

Handling the backlog of plate numbers and driver's licenses at the Land Transportation Office (LTO), as well as the "laglag-bala (dropped ammo), bukas-bagahe (open baggage)" and other concerns at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), are among the low-hanging fruits, he said.

“NAIA was called ‘one of the worst international airports in the world.’ One year in, it became one of the most improved airports in the world,” Sec. Tugade insisted.

The 250 completed airport projects, which included the maintenance, renovation, and construction of new airports and infrastructure, are part of the medium- and long-term plans, according to Sec. Tugade.

The Clark International Airport (CRK) and its new "world-class" Terminal 2, the "scenic" Bicol International Airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Bohol-Panglao International Airport, and Zamboanga International Airport were among the newly built and renovated airports.

According to Sec. Tugade, the DOTr upgraded the country's satellite communication networks and implemented airport night ratings.

“When we started, we only had nine radar systems in the country. Today, we added 10 more. We have protected the Philippine aerial territory and jurisdiction so that traveling will not only be convenient, it will become more predictable,” he said.

He claimed that more than 10 airports have been “night-rated,” permitting them to operate at all hours of the day and night.

Tugade also emphasized the rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), the completion of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) East Extension, and the ongoing construction of the MRT-7, the Metro Manila Subway, and the Common Station, with the last three projects planned to be partially operational this year.

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 1, the PNR Bicol, and the Mindanao Railways are still ongoing rail projects, with all three expected to be partially operational by 2025.

He also stated that the DOTr built half of all completed marine projects, with the other half done by the Philippine Ports Authority and other DOTr-affiliated agencies.

Among these projects are the Salomague cruise port in Ilocos Sur, the Port of Puerto Princesa, which is connected to Malaysia and Indonesia, and many other port developments.

Sec. Tugade mentioned that some of the passenger terminal facilities developed in these ports can hold 3,000 to 4,000 passengers and are air-conditioned.

“Never before in the history of this country has there been a passenger terminal with those capacities,” he stated.

He also said that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had only 6,000 personnel in 2016. Now, the PCG has a workforce of 22,400 people, in addition to completing other projects including training centers and the procurement of advanced maritime equipment like the two 97-meter multi-role response vessels recently acquired from Japan.

In the road transport and infrastructure sector, Sec. Tugade highlighted road ports like the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board's Service Contracting Program, and Libreng Sakay (free ride), the public utility vehicle modernization program, and the formation of bike lanes across the country.

He said, “We may not have solved all the transport problems in six years. We have addressed many. Never before in the history of this country has the DOTr done so much in such a short time… We delivered.”

Photo by Avito C. Dalan, Philippine News Agency

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