THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) will only expropriate properties affected by major rail projects such the Metro Manila Subway as last resort in resolving contentious right-of-way issues, according to DOTr Undersecretary for Rails Jeremy Regino.
Usec Regino explained during a media briefing on Thursday that expropriation of property would be the government’s last recourse should negotiations with affected property owners face an impasse.
“We have now shortened the negotiation process. If there will be no agreement, we will have to file expropriation proceedings but without prejudice to continue with the negotiations,” Usec. Regino said.
Usec. Regino joined Transport Secretary Jaime J. Bautista during the latter’s inspection of the MMSP’s Tunnel Boring Machine initial drive at the railway system’s North Avenue Station.
Usec. Regino further explained that expropriation of property is not forced occupation but rather a “just compensation.”
He added that once the government is granted a writ of possession, “it does not bar the continuation and conclusion of a successful negotiation.”
“We are doing our best to convince property owners, all things considered, that their concerns are already factored in,” he said.
Nevertheless, Usec. Regino noted that the Metro Manila Subway’s completion is still well within the DOTr’s 2029 target.
The first underground railway in the country, the MMSP is a 33-kilometer railway system that will connect Valenzuela City to Pasay City with a spur line at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Paranaque City.
Once operational, the subway is expected to reduce travel time from Valenzuela to NAIA from 1 hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes, servicing 519,000 passengers daily.
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