00:00Today, we proved to the world something we once thought would be impossible, a subway in Metro Manila.
00:11I join with you in our optimism and excitement as we gather here for the groundbreaking of the Calayaan Avenue
00:20and Bonifacio Global City or BGC stations.
00:23This segment will link the Shaw Boulevard station which we just came from and we inspected and I'm happy to
00:31report that the progress is proceeding and the work is proceeding and we are very much on schedule.
00:37In fact, we are from the original timetable. We have accelerated the process and we are moving even more quickly
00:46than that.
00:46But this segment now will link Shaw Boulevard station in Pasig to the Loton Avenue station in Taguig.
00:56Earlier today, we inspected Shaw Boulevard.
00:59The progress that we've witnessed there and in all of this project demonstrate that implementation is fully and actively underway.
01:10The station in BGC is projected to the stations because there are three, three of them, four, three, four.
01:20The three stations in BGC are projected to serve no less than 200,000 passengers per day in its opening
01:30year.
01:30This means workers arriving on time, students getting home earlier, and our citizens regaining hours that we once lost to
01:39congestion.
01:40Once the entire 33-kilometer stretch of the Metro Manila subway system is fully operational,
01:47the travel time from Valenzuela to BGC will be reduced from one and a half hours to just 29 minutes.
02:02This will also significantly improve airport connectivity.
02:06From Quezon City to Manila Airport, the travel time will be shortened from more than one hour to 35 minutes.
02:15More importantly, planned railway interconnections will allow seamless transfers at key stations.
02:22At North Avenue, the subway will connect to LRT1, MRT3, and MRT7.
02:29At the Anona Station, it will connect to LRT2.
02:32At the Ortega Station, it will link with the proposed MRT4.
02:37The subway is also designed for interoperability with the North-South Commuter Railway,
02:43strengthening Metro Manila's connectivity to all the nearby provinces.
02:49This is the scale of transformation that we are building.
02:53And this brings us closer to a fully connected subway that will redefine mobility in our nation's capital.
03:02It also brings us closer towards restoring dignity to daily travel and reaffirming our confidence in what we can achieve
03:10as a nation.
03:11For decades, traffic in Metro Manila has been more than an inconvenience.
03:18It has been a constant consideration affecting our daily decisions.
03:23It influences where we work, where we study, and how we plan our lives.
03:28Some students hesitate to enroll in their dream school because the commute will take two hours or more, one way.
03:37Others decline promising job offers because the cost of commuting to work will outweigh the salary and mean less time
03:46for family.
03:46And this is not the kind of future that we want for our cababayans.
03:52And that is why this administration is determined to address these problems by providing sustainable, long-term solutions.
04:01This subway is one of those solutions.
04:05This project is part of a broader effort to improve our public transport system.
04:11In that regard, we have, this year, released more than 49 billion pesos for the railway sector under the DOTR.
04:20We continue enhancement works in key stations, including the MRT3 Quezon Avenue station,
04:27to improve passenger flow and accessibility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
04:34To help our commuters save on expenses and make daily travel more convenient,
04:39We issued discounted beep cards and implemented cashless payments in MRT3.
04:46We have also made free Wi-Fi available in all of its stations,
04:50as well as in several EDSA busway stations to ensure greater comfort and connectivity for our passengers.
04:58The Love Bus Libre Sakay program continues to operate in Metro Manila, in Cebu, and in Davao.
05:06All these, we do because we want future generations to no longer worry about traffic and distance when they make
05:14their life choices.
05:16At this juncture, I wish to recognize the BCDA and Megaworld Corporation for granting the DOTR a perpetual easement of
05:26right-of-way for the construction of these stations.
05:29Thank you for your help and assistance because this means that this project begins constructions with 100% of the
05:40required right-of-way already secured.
05:42And anyone familiar with this kind of transport project, large-scale transport projects will know and will remember that it
05:52is the right-of-way that is the hardest part of that project.
05:56And this, again, is an example of what we can achieve when we take on, as our full partners in
06:05development, the private sector, and work together well to gain this kind of success.
06:12I also wish to express, of course, our deepest appreciation to the government of Japan and to JICA for their
06:22continuing steadfast support, which we have enjoyed over many decades.
06:27With the scale and complexity of this project, we are exercising careful oversight and close coordination amongst all the implementing
06:35agencies and all our partners.
06:37We remain committed to sustain the momentum and to ensure that this project proceeds with discipline, transparency, and accountability.
06:49Certainly, this project will outlast its administration, but its benefits and impact will endure, serving generations of Filipinos yet to
06:59come.
06:59Ladies and gentlemen, a subway beneath our city also serves as a foundation for a greater nation above it.
07:08Let us continue this work with genuine commitment to improving the everyday lives of every single Filipino.
07:16Panahon na upang matudukan ang dekadang pag-ihirap ng ating mga commuter.
07:22Angad natin ang ligtas, mabilis at komportabling biyahe dahil ang oras ng bawat Pilipino ay mahalaga at bawat minutong matitipid
07:32ay oras na maigugugul ninyo kasama ang inyong mga pamilya.
07:38Thank you very much.
07:39Mabuhay ang bagong Pilipinas.
07:41Maraming maraming salamat at magandang umaga sa inyo.
07:53Maraming salamat at magandang umaga sa inyo.
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