00:00In the meantime, the 33-kilometer-long Metro Manila Subway project, arguably the biggest of the big-ticket infrastructure projects
00:07of the Marcus Jr. administration,
00:09had a groundbreaking ritual for the BGC and Kalayaan stations today, which the president led after inspecting the Shaw Boulevard
00:17station of the project earlier.
00:19He expressed optimism and confidence on the overall project status, which stands at close to 55 percent completion.
00:26Our Kenneth Paschenta gets us up to speed with more details.
00:33Panahon na upang matudukan ang dekadang pag-ihirap ng ating mga commuter.
00:38This was emphasized by President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr. as he led the groundbreaking ceremony for two additional underground stations
00:46of the Metro Manila Subway Project or MMSP.
00:49The president led the safe barrel-breaking and capsule-laying ceremony, marking the start of the construction of the Kalayaan
00:56Avenue and BGC stations of the MMSP, with a total length of 1.3 kilometers.
01:01Three stations in BGC are projected to serve no less than 200,000 passengers per day in its opening year.
01:11This means workers arriving on time, students getting home earlier, and our citizens regaining hours that we once lost to
01:19congestion.
01:20This portion of the MMSP is expected to be completed more than five years after the start of construction.
01:26Prior to this, the president also inspected the Shaw Boulevard station, which will connect to the BGC and Kalayaan Avenue
01:32stations in Taguig.
01:34He personally checked the update and progress of the station, which is now at 22 percent completion.
01:39I'm happy to report that the progress is proceeding, and the work is proceeding, and we are very much on
01:46schedule.
01:47In fact, we are from the original timetable. We have accelerated the process, and we are moving even more quickly
01:56than that.
01:56The president again highlighted the convenience the full completion of the MMSP will bring.
02:01He stressed the travel time from Valenzuela to BGC will be reduced to 29 minutes from the current one and
02:07a half hours.
02:08He also said that the travel time from Quezon City to the Manila Airport will take only 35 minutes.
02:13According to the president, this will also greatly help in terms of interoperability and smoother commuting for passengers.
02:21At North Avenue, the subway will connect to LRT1, MRT3, and MRT7.
02:28At the Anona station, it will connect to LRT2.
02:31At the Ortega station, it will link with the proposed MRT4.
02:35The subway is also designed for interoperability with the North-South Commuter Railway,
02:42strengthening Metro Manila's connectivity to all the nearby provinces.
02:47He added that this is part of the administration's effort to restore the dignity of Filipinos who endure heavy traffic
02:53every day.
02:54While construction is ongoing, he also cited government programs aimed at easing the burden of commuters,
03:00such as discounted beep cards, cashless payment systems, the Love Bus Project which provides free rides in Manila, Cebu, and
03:08Davao,
03:08as well as the rehabilitation of several MRT3 stations.
03:12According to the president, the project will extend beyond his administration,
03:16but he is confident that its benefits will extend for future generations.
03:20He also assured strict government monitoring in the implementation of the project.
03:25With the scale and complexity of this project, we are exercising careful oversight and close coordination
03:32amongst all the implementing agencies and all our partners.
03:36We remain committed to sustain the momentum and to ensure that this project proceeds with discipline, transparency, and accountability.
03:46The MMSP is the country's first underground railway system with a total length of 33.1 kilometers.
03:53As of January 31, 2026, the project has reached 54.79% overall progress.
03:59It has a budget of more than 488 billion pesos,
04:03with the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA as the government's financing partner.
04:08Kenneth Paciente from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
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