‘FULL SPEED AHEAD,’ Marcos seeks revival of Panay railways

VITAL MEASURES. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. urges Congress to pass priority measures of his administration, during his first State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City on July 25, 2022. Standing behind him are Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (left) and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. PNA PHOTO
VITAL MEASURES. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. urges Congress to pass priority measures of his administration, during his first State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City on July 25, 2022. Standing behind him are Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (left) and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. PNA PHOTO

MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos. Jr. has ordered the revival of the railway system in Panay Island, among other roads and transportation systems in the country.

“My order to the Department of Transportation is really very simple: Full speed ahead,” said Marcos in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) yesterday afternoon at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.

The President lamented that in recent years the country missed some great opportunities to develop its rail transport system. 

“It is clear in my mind that railways offer great potential as it continues to be the cheapest way of transporting goods and passengers,” said Marcos whose SONA centered mainly on revitalizing the country’s economy.

The Panay railways started operating in 1907. Operations ceased in 1983 due to mounting losses but its operator, the state-owned Panay Railways, Inc. (PRI), remains and just last month, its chief operations officer Cesar Capellan revealed that a company from England, Global Wealth Centres, expressed interest in the railway revival.

“We can build upon already existing lines by modernizing these old railway systems,” said Marcos.

The Panay railway system will be integrated as a vital part of the country’s transport and communications systems, he said, also mentioning, the 102-kilometer Mindanao Railway Project and the Cebu railway system.

He described them as “larger-scale railway systems”.

“We will continue to improve our roads and transportation systems in key cities throughout the country,” said Marcos.

Improving the country’s railway system, he said, along with modernizing existing airports and seaports “will maximize the Philippines’ strategic location in the Pacific, and connect our many islands.”

The Panay railway’s original route was 117 kilometers long and included 19 permanent and 10 flag stations. It connected the then towns of La Paz and Jaro (now districts of Iloilo City), Pavia, Santa Barbara, New Lucena, Pototan, Dingle, Dueñas, and Passi in Iloilo, and Dumarao, Dao, Panitan, Cuartero, and Loctugan in Capiz. It reached Roxas City.

In Iloilo City, the trains ended at the passenger terminal along the wharf next to the Customs House and near where the current Iloilo City Hall stands. Trains ran across what is now the Drilon Bridge from La Paz and down the bank of the Iloilo River to Muelle Loney at the Port of Iloilo.

In 1980s, a 12-kilometer spur was constructed from Dueñas to Calinog, Iloilo to serve a sugar refinery in Iloilo.

“We must keep the momentum of ‘Build, Build, Build’ and aspire to ‘Build Better More,’” Marcos said. “I will not suspend any of the ongoing projects as those have already been shown to be of benefit to the public that they serve.”

According to the President, infrastructure development is of primary importance as it is a necessary element to improve many other sectors — to include agriculture, tourism and general economic activity and even governance.

One of the pending infrastructure projects from the previous administration was the proposed bridge connecting Iloilo and Guimaras, which was already in the advanced stage of planning. Marcos, however, made no mention of it in his SONA.

The proposed project has two components. These are the 13-kilometer Panay-Guimaras or Section A that will have a sea-crossing bridge length of 4.97 kilometers; and the Guimaras-Negros or Section B or with a total length of 19.47 kilometers including a sea-crossing bridge length of 13.11 kilometers./PN

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