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Duterte dream legacy: First bullet train to be built in PH

Metro Manila— A very promising project of President Rodrigo Duterte might be on the works after his state visit to China. If everything goes as planned, the country will soon have its first bullet train, and the Philippines may soon be included in the list of nations that uses a high-speed mass railway system like Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan.

According to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Martin Diño at the sidelines of an inquiry by the House transportation committee on Wednesday, October 12, the bullet train will connect Subic and Clark, which spans 60 kilometers

The project will be carried out through a public-private partnership with a Chinese firm whose name he did not mention.

Diño said it is part of President Duterte’s top agenda when he visits China from October 18 to 22 along with some business executives.

“‘Yun ang kauna-unahan natin na hopefully magawa agad. ‘Yung pipirmahan natin contract ay PPP,” Diño said, as quoted by CNN Philippines.

The Philippines is hoping to court Chinese investors when Duterte visits Beijing, which is highly expected as National Treasurer Roberto Tan said China has a strong interest in transport projects in the Philippines.

Quezon City Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo, one of the authors of the ‘emergency power’ bills, strongly urged Congress to fully scrutinise the projects to be implemented to ensure transparency and accountability in the government.

He said the Department of Transportation (DoTr) should not just be allowed to “to do away with bidding for big-ticket infrastructure projects but enable the agency to do the right things the right way.

 

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