B set aside to purchase right-of-way properties for Mindanao Rail 1

DAVAO CITY –The government will start negotiations with property owners this year for the settlement of road right of way in the implementation of the phase 1 of the Mindanao Railway Project, an official from the Mindanao Development Authortiy (MinDA) said.

MinDA Executive Deputy Director Romeo Montenegro said, in an interview on Wednesday, that the government has allotted R9 billion to acquire the properties that would be in the path of the train that will run for 102 kilometers from Tagum, to Davao City, and to Digos City.

The first segment will be comprised of eight stations in Tagum; Carmen; Panabo; Mudiang (in Bunawan, Davao City); Davao Terminal; Toril; Sta. Cruz; and Digos. A 10hectare depot will be built in Tagum.

The government targets to complete the acquisition within the year, he said.

“What we would expect is for the process to go on smoothly, for right of way process to be accomplished in a manner where we secure it smoothly with the property owners because the usual challenge in the right of way is dispute in agreements as to pricing and then eventually government imploring its imminent domain authority. We don’t want that to happen,” Montenegro added.

He said they hope to settle it with property owners as they do not want to encounter legal issues later on that would delay the implementation of the railway.

“We don’t want to see these types of projects encountering legal hurdles later on or cases filed. It will have an impact on timelines of the project as all with other big ticket infrastructures projects encountering delays because of legal issue,” he added.

He said they would need the help of local government units with the right of way settlements.

The budget for the right of way settlement was part of the R36 billion approved budget under the 2018 General Appropriations Act, which was intended for a onetrack, diesel-run locomotive.

But Department of Transportation (DOTr) later reverted to its original plan of a two-track electricity-run railway worth R86 billion.

But he said this is still subject for approval by the National Economic Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee, which consists of secretary of finance as chairman; the NEDA Director-General as co--chairman; and Executive Secretary, secretaries of Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Budget and Management and the Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines as members.