In his SONA, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte revealed his administration’s plans to decongest the Light Rail Transit System and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“Kayong may mga helicopter at eroplano, ililipat ko kayo. Ilagay ko kayo sa Batanes,” he joked.
(“Those of you with helicopters and planes, I’ll have you transferred. I’ll put you in Batanes.”)
Kidding aside, Duterte offered the airport at Sangley Point in Cavite City to owners of private airplanes and helicopters.
Meanwhile, the Clark Airport will be utilized in shifting the operations of some domestic and international flights. At present, the Clark Airport is being used by airlines that fly to destinations such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Doha.
“A one-stop shop should be established within the Clark aviation complex for the benefit of overseas Filipinos,” Duterte explained.
He continued to say a road or rail line must be established between Manila and Clark to make the airport fully accessible.
As for the LRT congestion, Duterte said that the solution to the problem on passenger capacity is to increase the number of trains.
In addition, he suggested that the train speed limit should be increased from the current 40 kph to 60 kph, while noting that the tracks have been around since the time of Ferdinand Marcos and may no longer be operating at optimal capacity.
“The delays in procurement of additional trains shall be addressed soonest,” he said.
In the meantime, the headway time of trains will be reduced from five to three minutes, and, as previously reported, an extension of the LRT hours from 9:30pm to 10pm will be implemented. (It is currently on an experimental phase.)
Railway projects in Metro Manila and other major spots in the country, including the Mindanao Rail project, will also be pursued by the Duterte administration.
To solve the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, Duterte sees the Pasig River Ferry service system, which currently has 11 stations in four Metro Manila cities, to be one “viable” solution.
This will serve as an alternative transportation route for commuters living on the east side of Metro Manila to reach destinations in Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Taguig, Marikina and Quezon City.
Existing roads will also be maximized to address the lack of road in infrastructure in Metro Manila. Duterte called for the need to cooperate with Local Government Units to be able to map out secondary routes with public transport operators and various stakeholders.
