DOTr: Marcos to soon sign bill on right-of-way sites

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., together with the First Family and Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, led the official launch of the Family Fare 1+3 Promo for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at the GMA-Kamuning Station in Quezon City. Yummie Dingding/ PPA POOL

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will soon sign the bill amending the existing right-of-way approved by lawmakers before the 19th Congress adjourned last week, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday described the measure as a game changer for government infrastructure projects, especially on issues concerning subterranean right-of-way, which is key to finishing the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).

Metro Manila Subway partial operations likely by 2032 - DOTr

“If dadaanan ng gobyerno ang subterranean right-of-way mo, halimbawa sa subway, 18 meters pwedeng kunin ng gobyerno yan. Pero pag hindi dadaanan, I think you’d still own up up to 40 meters,” said Dizon.

“This was actually a very elegant and very intelligent proposal by the Senate President because this was a big debate… I think that’s a very Solomonic solution to that problem,” he said.

Dizon has said that the subway project will probably take until 2032 to complete due to problems with land acquisition.

He told ABS-CBN News back in April that the DOTr already secured a go signal to build underneath an exclusive subdivision in Quezon City but he said they were still ironing out the right-of-way issues in BGC and Metrowalk. 

DOTr secures permit to build subway under Quezon City subdivision, but right-of-way woes persist

He said was optimistic that at least two or three stations could be done before the term of Marcos steps down in 2028.

“We could see the trains running starting from the north— Valenzuela, Quirino, hopefully, North Avenue,” he said.

The ambitious P488-billion subway project— a first of its kind in the Philippines—will span 17 stations from Valenzuela City to Bicutan in Taguig and will have a spur line going to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.