RAILWAY AFFECTS 158 HOUSES IN TAGUM

The local government unit will resttle the affected residents of the Mindanao Railway Project

A total of 158 households will be affected by the construction of the Mindanao Railway project in Tagum city February of next year, a government official said.

“So fina-finilize pa po kung gaano kalaki yung matataman nung bawat household (So we are still finalizing on how big will the effect be on each household),” Tagum City Planning and Development Office (CPDC) officer Arturo B. Manigo said.

Manigo added that their planning and development office had already conducted the necessary procedures in securing the railway project to take effect. He said they have already completed the ground and drone surveys in checking the land where the railway will be constructed.

“All of these (households) are private lands. It will cover about two barangays -– San Miguel and Mankilam,” Manigo said.

The planning officer added that resettlement for the affected households are already set.

“The ones who will be affected will be resettled in the same barangay also,” Manigo said.

For the railway project, Manigo added that 60 percent of Tagum’s agricultural lands will also be affected with the onset of the construction next year.

“Well most of these areas are agriculture-classified, but we are always evaluating because the productivity of these areas had already decreased because these lands are not irrigated areas,” Manigo said.

Some of the agricultural lands, Manigo added, which will be affected are coconut and banana plantations.

Meanwhile, Manigo said come November 28, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the local government units(LGU) of Davao Region are set to sign a memorandum of agreement for the right-of-way (ROW) for the Railway Mindanao Project. This will be then followed by the signing of agreement between China and the Philippines in December.

“Tagum is all ready for the implementation of the Mindanao Railway,” Manigo said.