MODERNIZED TRANSPORT IN CITY

Davao Public Transport Modernization Program (DPTMP), or Davao Bus Project, which is expected to start next year or in 2026, will have a core service lane connecting major commercial centers, nine feeder routes, and eight routes to inner urban areas.

THE Davao Public Transport Modernization Program (DPTMP), or Davao Bus Project, is expected to benefit Dabawenyo commuters with an efficient, comfortable, and convenient riding experience while at the same time serving as a model for similar urban transportation projects nationwide.

“Once completed, it will serve as a benchmark for other urban road projects that aim to radically transform public transport,” Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said during the signing of civil works contracts for the DPTMP in Davao City on February 7.

The civil works will include five bus depots, three bus terminals, more than a thousand bus stops, a driving school, bus lanes, pedestrian lanes, and signages.

Bautista said the program will commence the transformation of Mindanao public transport, adding that the DPTMP, which has a budget of P73.4 billion and is funded by the Asian Development Bank, will run in parallel with the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program implemented nationwide.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who witnessed the ceremonial signing, reiterated that the DPTMP is part of the administration’s high-speed and unyielding commitment to improve the country’s transportation system.

“We launch a project that will not only move hardworking people around with ease but transport their progressive city to a modern future with certainty. It should be rightly viewed as a major vehicle that will bring us to a better tomorrow,” the president said during his speech at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City.

The DOTr, led by Bautista signed the contracts for four civil works packages, and representatives from the Joint Venture of China Wu Yi Co. LTD, Fujian Construction Engineering Group Co. LTD, and Vicente T. Lao Construction for Contract Package No. 4. Also during the signing were representatives from China International Water and Electric Corporation for packages 1 to 3.

Joining President Marcos in witnessing the ceremonial signing were Vice President Sara Duterte, Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and Special Assistant to the President Sec. Anton Lagdameo. /