President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to ensure the timely completion of the Metro Manila Subway Project, the country’s first-ever underground railway system.

In a Palace briefing on Thursday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro emphasized the administration’s commitment to improve public transport, citing the President’s recent inspection of the said project’s construction site at the Camp Aguinaldo Station.

“Batid ng administrasyon ang urgent need sa mas epektibo na maaasahang mass public transit sa bansa kaya’t kasama ang DOTr ay nag-inspeksiyon ang Pangulo sa construction site para alamin ang status ng proyekto at tiyaking umuusad ito,” Castro said.

Castro said the President directed the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to maintain orderly construction sites to minimize public inconvenience. Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was instructed to ensure the timely release of funds necessary to meet the project’s timeline.

“Nagbigay naman ng direktiba si Pangulong Marcos Jr. sa DOTr at DBM – siguraduhing matatapos ang proyekto ayon sa target date, tiyaking maayos ang construction sites para hindi makadagdag sa abala ng commuters at siguraduhin din ang tamang pag-release ng pondo para on-time ang tapos ng proyekto,” Castro said.

The 33-kilometer Manila Subway Project is expected to reduce travel time from Valenzuela to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City from the current 2 hours and 30 minutes to just 41 minutes.

The subway project will also be interconnected with MRT 3, MRT 7, and the North-South Commuter Railway, providing a more seamless commute for passengers to and from different destinations. The project will significantly benefit students and employees.

“Layunin ng subway project na gawing mas mabilis ang at convenient ang pagbiyahe ng mga commuter mapa-estudyante o empleyado man. Hindi na kailangang gumising nang sobrang aga para lang makaiwas sa traffic,” Castro said. | PND