THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) is opening doors of collaboration with neighboring countries and stakeholders to hasten infrastructure projects and transport iniaitives aimed at improving travel experience.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista on Monday said the DOTr is rushing big ticket projects designed to improve mobility and ensure convenience of commuters.
“We did not waste any time rushing projects to reduce traffic, waiting lines, smoke-belching jeepneys, flight cancellations and other travel inconveniences,” Sec. Bautista said in an event at the Embassy of Malaysia.
The transport chief, who was included in the ‘Men and Women Who Matter’ of Rising Tigers Magazine, explained that with a thick portfolio of transport infrastructure projects, the agency is “open to collaborate with our neighboring countries and other stakeholders.”
In the pipeline of the transportation department is the planned privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which will be implemented through the Public-Private Partnership scheme (PPP), according to Secretary Bautista.
Sec. Bautista added that apart from road initiatives Active Transport and the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), the concept of the EDSA Busway is being replicated in Cebu and Davao through the Bus Rapid Transit project (BRT).
To effectively address traffic congestion while providing increased passenger and freight capacity, the DOTr is also rushing rail projects such as the LRT-1 Cavite Extension, North South Commuter Railway (NSCR), Metro Manila Subway, MRT-7, among others, the transport chief said.
Sec. Bautista also said the DOTr has been relentless in upgrading numerous seaports, making the countryside competitive for trade, investment and tourism, while ensuring coastline safety, and upgrading the skills of Filipino seafarers.
