In its glory days, the 'Bicol Express' used to stretch all the way to Legazpi, Albay. Can the government find the funds to bring the trains back?
MANILA, Philippines – The stalled loan negotiation between China and the Philippines is threatening to derail the PNR South Long Haul project, but the government isn’t ready to give up on its dream of a railway in south Luzon just yet.
That’s because the massive project could cost about P175 billion – tens of billions more than the government has to spare. For this reason, the original plan was for China to provide official development assistance . The Chinese loan would cover construction costs while the Philippine government would take care of obtaining right of way and relocating informal settlers.
“The negotiations started during the time of the previous administration under President Duterte. But just like before, the negotiations did not prosper at once because there was a deadlock on the rate of interest,” PNR’s Regino told Rappler. “The Department of Transportation, together with the Department of Finance, is trying to study and evaluate and weigh other options for other official development assistance to come in and pursue the project for the South Long Haul,” Regino told reporters on Tuesday, October 17.
INSPECTION. PNR General Manager Jeremy Regino visits the San Pablo station in Laguna on January 12, 2023. Department of Transportation.“There’s a delay in the timeline because the negotiations are still ongoing,” he told Rappler. “It was supposed to start before the pandemic.”
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