Camarines Sur Representative Luis Raymund Villafuerte reports that a number of infrastructure projects are currently in the works to shorten the travel time between Manila and the Bicol region.
“Quezon-Bicol expressway is in the pipeline so it will be done in three years. Manila to Bicol will be three and half hours, na lang,” Villafuerte said in a media briefing.
RELATED STORY: DOTr eyes opening of Bicol International Airport this year
“Second, the Philippine National Railway (PNR) will be soon upgraded. It has a budget already. Manila-Calamba, Japanese grant. Then Calamba-Bicol, Chinese. Once that’s done, three to four hours you’ll be here in Bicol. You can have breakfast in Manila, have lunch here in Bicol, and back at Manila for dinner,” he added.
Villafuerte adds that the PNR will also establish the central station at the complex of CamSur capitol.
“It’s gonna be part of a five-hectare facility but the whole complex is 300 hectares. Meaning, we will also build a mall, restaurants, shopping area—tourism sites near the destination. Once the train arrived, it’s already a tourist destination,” he added.
READ ON: New SLEX extension to reduce Manila-Bicol travel time by 3 hours — DPWH
The airport of Daraga, Albay is also 93% complete. Naga airport will also be rehabilitated.
“What we are fighting now is for them to build an international standard domestic airport. It means that it should have a four-kilometer runway so air buses can land. Through that, regional flights from Asia such as Korean, Japan, and Malaysia can directly land here,” Villafuerte explained. (TDT)
