This is the official website of Mindanao Railway Watchers. An online community of railway advocates that believe that Mindanao should have a functional railway. One that not only powers the growth of Mindanao, but is also mindful of its effects upon those who are directly affected by its creation and operation.

This site seeks to promote discussion about the challenges associated with creating an all-new railway -- from scratch, with no pre-existing infrastructure -- and to crowdsource solutions to these challenges.

This site is supported by like-minded volunteers. It is not affiliated with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) or any other government agency. While it only shares information from official -- and verifiable -- sources, it is NOT a substitute for official DOTr communication.

 

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Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri authored this bill and submitted it during the 19th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines on 14th of July 2022.

 

 

Status and summary of the bill

 

Long title

AN ACT CREATING THE MINDANAO RAILWAYS AUTHORITY (MRA), PRESCRIBING ITS POWERS, FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4156 ENTITLED 'AN ACT CREATING THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RAILWAYS, PRESCRIBING ITS POWERS, FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES, AND PROVIDING FOR THE NECESSARY FUNDS FOR ITS OPERATION' AS AMENDED BY R. A. NO. 6366, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES


Scope

National

Legislative status

Pending in the Committee (8/17/2022)

Subject(s)

Mindanao Railways Authority
Primary committee

Government Corporations and Public Enterprises
Secondary committee

Public Services
Ways and Means
Finance

Legislative History

7/14/2022 Introduced by Senator JUAN MIGUEL "MIGZ" F. ZUBIRI;
8/17/2022 Read on First Reading and Referred to the Committees on GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISES; PUBLIC SERVICES; WAYS AND MEANS and FINANCE;

 

Explanatory note

The explanatory note for the bill appears below. This is a direct transcription.

This Bill seeks to implement the Mindanao Railways Project through the creation of a national government agency attached to the Office of the President. This agency is to be distinct and separate from the Philippine National Railways whose scope and coverage, as provided in Republic Act No. 4156, is proposed to be amended.

The Philippines, overall, is currently ranked as one of the countries with an Emerging Economy. However, the internal development of the archipelago has yet to be closely and critically assessed. The Philippines still needs to meet the distinct needs of different regions that lag behind the country's overall economic outlook in terms of infrastructural development, integration, and access to fundamental services.

Mindanao is a resource-rich geographical region of around 97,630 square kilometers. However, this is an area that greatly suffers from a lack of focused inputs of public investments. This region that is comprised of mainly rural areas and a few urban and urbanizing areas are physically hard to access from one point to another, which loses the benefits of market and public services integration existing in other geographic regions like Central Luzon and Mega Manila.

The Constitution mandates in Section 21, Art. II Declaration of Principles and State Policies that the State shall promote comprehensive rural development. The Constitution also guarantees the basic human right to travel. In fact. Republic Act No. 4156 had set aside funds for the implementation of the Mindanao Railways Project, highlighting that these mandates are still present in the economic plans of the country.

In 2017, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has initiated a Feasibility Study, crucial for the implementation of this Act. The Terms of Reference of the NEDA for the MRP declares, as follows:

"The proposed railway transport service will play a major role towards improvement of Mindanao's intra island accessibility, linkages and seamless multimodal transport networks. The island is strategically located and has potential as a major transshipment point and center of trade in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) region.

Enhanced interconnectivity and linkages through passenger and freight railway transport development will further boost tourism, trade and commerce in the island; bring opportunities for the acceleration of local area development; and expansion of local markets for more efficient movement of goods and people to promote productivity and trade competitiveness."

Not diminishing the importance of the economic and material benefits that the railway system in Mindanao will bring about, the most compelling reason for it is the upliftment of the living conditions of more than 25 million people (2018). A well-planned economic development scheme will realize the peace, stability, and security of the people living in Mindanao. The development of the necessary infrastructures will give the development scheme the impetus needed. This can be realized through the enactment of the Mindanao Railways Project to be established and managed by its own Mindanao Railways Authority.

The Authority to be established shall be covered by measures that strictly ensure transparency and public accountability. This body will be under the lens of the Commission on Audit and undergo the monitoring tools of the NEDA such as Value Engineering and Value Analysis. Likewise, the funding provisions shall be guided by the laws that govern the borrowing power of the President at the same time that it mandates the Department of Budget and Management to ensure that funding requirements overcome the hurdles as generally expected for critical infrastructure programs and projects.

The current status consists of ongoing right-of-way acquisition, finalizing financial cover and selection of qualified bidders for the design and build project of the 102-kilometer railways system. The first segment to be constructed is the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment that will be a single-track with options for future expansion. Ridership is projected to reach 134,060 by end 2022; 237,023 by 2032; and, 375,134 by 2042. The MRP-TDD segment is expected to cost Thirty-Five Billion Nine Hundred Ten Million Pesos (P35.91 Billion), while the MRP is projected to cost Eighty-Two Billion Pesos (P82 Billion). The Mindanao Railways Project will be among many critical infrastructures that will impress upon the broader community that our archipelago is one that is integrated physically, thus Filipinos have a high chance of being a truly united country.

In view of the foregoing, approval of this Bill is earnestly sought.

  

Text of the bill

The text of the bill is available here.

 

 

 

 

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Congressman Edgar Mary Sarmiento, representative of the 1st district of Samar, submitted House Bill 9468 on May 25, 2021. This bill sought to adopt a 30-year National Infrastructure Program, titled "The Future of Mobility in the Philippines 2045 Act", that included the following provision about the Mindanao Railway:

Sec 12. Core National Infrastructure Projects

. . .

a. Transport and Logistics Infrastructure

. . .

2. Rail and Other Mass Transport

a) Long-haul rail systems

. . .

4) Mindanao Rail Networks, Tagum-Davao-Digos, with extensions to Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Iligan, Surigao, and Zamboanga

 

 

Status and summary of the bill

AN ACT ADOPTING A 30-YEAR NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM

Session No.: 18-2RS-023

Significance: NATIONAL

Date Filed: 2021-05-25

Principal Author/s: SARMIENTO, EDGAR S.

Date Read: 2021-06-01

Primary Referral: TRANSPORTATION

Status: Pending with the Committee on TRANSPORTATION since 2021-06-01

 

Explanatory note

Key portions of the explanatory note for this bill appears below:

The bill seeks to legislate a 30-year National Transportation Infrastructure Program. It shall be entitled as “The Future of Mobility in the Philippines 2045
Act.” The year 2045 marks the 100th anniversary of the country’s liberation from Japanese occupation. At that point, majority of the vital projects legislated under
this measure must have been completed as part of our roadmap for transportation infrastructure.

. . .

The measure provides a list of core projects to be implemented between 2023 and 2052. It may be updated every five years by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), in coordination with the Oversight and Implementing Agencies. NEDA shall also be primarily responsible for formulating the details of the infrastructure program. To ensure funding, the NEDA and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) shall ensure that the total budget allocation by the Government for the program shall be at least five percent (5%) of the Gross Domestic Product.

 

Text of the bill

The text of the bill is available here.

 

 

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Congressman Romeo S Momo, representative of the 1st district of Surigao del Sur, submitted House Bill 1975 on December 7, 2020. This bill sought to adopt a 30-year National Infrastructure Program that included the following provision about the Mindanao Railway:

Sec 12. Core National Infrastructure Projects

. . .

a. Transport Infrastructure

. . .

2. Rail and Other Mass Transport

a) Long-haul rail systems

. . .

4) Mindanao Rail Networks, Tagum-Davao-Digos, with extensions to Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Iligan, Surigao, and Zamboanga

 

 

Status and summary of the bill

Session No.: 18-2RS-012

Significance: NATIONAL

Date Filed: 2020-12-07

Principal Author/s: MOMO, ROMEO S.

Date Read: 2020-12-09

Primary Referral: PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

Status: Substituted by HB10319

 

Explanatory note

Key portions of the explanatory note for this bill appears below:

A safe, strong, efficient, and accessible national infrastructure backbone is vital to foster the sustainable and inclusive socio-economi development of the present and future generations of Filipinos. This national infrastructure system should help realize the long-term vision for the Philippines under Ambisyon Natin 2040, by the middle of this centure, as a progressive, mainly middle-class society, where nobody is poor, where citizens enjoy healthy lives, are smart and innovative, and live in a high-trust community.

. . .

In Section 12, the bill provides the initial list and brief description of core national infrastructure projects to be given priority in the 30-Year Program. The list focuses on pipeline projects identified by the concerned Agencies as high priority and conforming to the policies and strategies in Sections 5 to 11.

 

Text of the bill

The text of the bill is available here.

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Representative Bernadette Herrera, representative of the 1st district of Quezon City, submitted House Bill 4585 on September 8, 2022. This bill sought to adopt a 30-year National Infrastructure Program that included the following provision about the Mindanao Railway:

Sec 12. Core National Infrastructure Projects

. . .

a. Transport and Logistics Infrastructure

. . .

2. Rail and Other Mass Transport

a) Long-haul rail systems

. . .

4) Mindanao Rail Networks, Tagum-Davao-Digos, with extensions to Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Iligan, Surigao, and Zamboanga

 

 

Status and summary of the bill

Session No.: 19-1RS-020

Significance: NATIONAL

Date Filed: 2022-09-08

Principal Author/s: HERRERA, BERNADETTE "BH"

Date Read: 2022-09-13

Primary Referral: PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

Status: Pending with the Committee on PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS since 2022-09-13

 

Explanatory note

Key portions of the explanatory note for this bill appears below:

A safe, strong, efficient, and accessible national infrastructure backbone is vital to foster the sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development of the present and future generations of Filipinos. This national infrastructure system should help realize the long-term vision for the Philippines under Ambisyon Natin 2040, by the middle of this centure, as a progressive, mainly middle-class society, where nobody is poor, where citizens enjoy healthy lives, are smart and innovative, and live in a high-trust community.

. . .

In Section 12, the bill provides the initial list and brief description of core national infrastructure projects to be given priority in the 30-Year Program. The list focuses on pipeline projects identified by the concerned Agencies as high priority and conforming to the policies and strategies in Sections 5 to 11.

 

Text of the bill

The text of the bill is available here.

Write comment (0 Comments)
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