MANILA — The government will not relocate families affected by the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway project far from the homes that they will be displaced from, the Philippine National Railways (PNR) said on Monday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista have ordered the relocation of affected residents within the provinces they where they currently live, PNR chairman Michael Macapagal told ANC. 

For example, if a family lives in Bulacan, they will be relocated to another area within Bulacan, he said.

The choice of relocation site is one of the concerns raised by affected residents whenever government projects, especially train systems and highways that cut through residential areas, displace communities.

Residents typically prefer to be relocated near their original place to minimize disruptions to their livelihoods and access to essential services such as schools and health facilities.

He said that discussions are still ongoing on financial compensation for those who face relocation but that government housing agencies have already started working on "alternative settling facilities" for them.

He said this has already started in Metro Manila and in Laguna and will be done along the stretch of the railway.

Macapagal said he is confident that the remaining right-of-way issues "will be taken care of," as the five-year construction of the North-South Commuter Railway project begins.

"We have already started fencing activities and track removal activities. The next would be construction and, obviously, we cannot construct without doing the talking and coordinating with the soon-to-be displaced settlers," he said.

Epekto ng tigil-operasyon ng PNR, ramdam ng mga pasahero

Bus augmentation, ipinatutupad kaugnay ng tigil-operasyon ng PNR sa Metro Manila