MANILA — India is eyeing involvement in three major Philippine railway projects while offering technical support for disaster-resilient infrastructure and the country’s ambition to eventually launch its own satellite, following separate meetings between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Indian organizations on Saturday.
The discussions covered the Mindanao Rail System, a proposed mass rail system in Cebu and the extension of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) line from Tutuban, as well as cooperation on climate resilience and space technology.
Marcos met with Rail India Technical Economic Service Limited, which expressed interest in studying the three railway initiatives, with the Mindanao Rail System identified as the priority.
“Ang unang-unang priority is the Mindanao Rail System. So titingnan nila ‘yun at pag-aaralan natin. Susunod ‘yung mass rail system sa Cebu. ‘Yun ‘yung titignan natin. And the third na papasukin nila ‘yung extension ng PNR sa Tutuban,” Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez said.
Marcos also met with the Coalition for Disaster Resilience, which the Philippines is expected to join as the government seeks to strengthen infrastructure and communities against increasingly severe climate-related disasters.
“I think napakahalaga ito dahil makakatulong talaga itong Coalition sa atin, especially doon sa hinaharap nating climate change,” Gomez told Philippine media in India.
He said membership would allow the Philippines to exchange knowledge and experiences with other countries, particularly on constructing roads, bridges and ports capable of withstanding disasters.
“Unang-una, tuturuan nila tayo — parang sharing ito ng experiences ng mga members ng coalition in dealing with the disaster and how to be disaster resilient. For example, how to build roads, bridges, ports na disaster resilient. So, tutulungan nila tayo. Bibigyan nila tayo ng payo doon,” Gomez said.
The coalition could also help the Philippines secure financing for projects aimed at strengthening disaster resilience.
Gomez said investing in preventive infrastructure would be more cost-effective than spending heavily on reconstruction and recovery only after calamities strike.
“Kasi kung ang sinasabi nga nila kanina kung mag-i-invest ka in disaster resilience, ‘yung ROI niyan napakalaki compared to responding to a disaster. So, parang bago masira, mag-invest ka na diyan, make it disaster resilient rather than ‘pag tinamaan ka ng kalamidad, tsaka ka pa lang mag-i-invest,” he said.
Marcos also held discussions with the Indian Space Research Organization, which committed to assisting the Philippine Space Agency in the country’s long-term goal of launching its own satellite.
Gomez said having a Philippine satellite could strengthen communications, weather forecasting, disaster response, defense and national security capabilities.
“Yung talaga ‘yung aspiration natin dahil sa mga panahon na ito, importante talaga na magkaroon din tayo ng sarili nating satellite dahil maraming gamit, maraming tulong ‘yan from communications to weather forecasting because of climate change, kailangan natin ‘yan, to defense and security,” he said.
“Maraming gamit ‘yung satellite. So talaga ‘yun ang aspirations ng administrasyong Marcos to eventually launch our satellite. So tutulungan nila tayo,” Gomez added.
Marcos was also scheduled to meet Indian business leaders as part of his visit, with discussions expected to focus on potential investments and employment opportunities in the Philippines.
“From what I understand, initially, libo-libong bagong hanapbuhay kaagad ‘yung maipapasok nito mga bagong businesses sa atin,” Gomez said./PN
