Malaca帽ang on Tuesday asked the public for understanding following the delay of the implementation of Light Rail Transit (LRT) Cavite extension, which is supposed to connect Baclaran to Bacoor and provide service for about 250,000 passengers.
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said that when President Benigno Aquino III promised in 2013 that the project would be completed in two years鈥� time, the bidding process was just about to take place.
鈥淣oong binanggit ng Pangulo 鈥榶ung paghahangad na magkaroon ng extension na katulad nito, ayon kay Secretary Abaya, binubuo pa lamang noong panahong 鈥榶on 鈥榶ung bidding para sa proyekto at natapos o naganap 鈥榶ung buong proseso hanggang sa pag-a-award noon lamang September 2015, nito lamang nakaraang Setyembre, at ito nga ay papangasiwaan na ng consortium ng Ayala at Metro Pacific na with partnership sa Macquarie Investments,鈥� Coloma told reporters in a press briefing.
鈥淎t doon sa konsepto, sila ang magsasagawa ng operations and maintenance of the existing LRT Line 1 from Monumento to Baclaran; sila na rin 鈥榶ung magsasagawa ng disenyo at 鈥榶ung pagtatayo 鈥榥ung extension from Baclaran to Bacoor. At meron pang ikatlong segment, from Bacoor to Imus, pagkatapos hanggang Dasmari帽as, at ito naman ay inilahad na ng DOTC para sa public bidding kahapon lamang o noong makalawa,鈥� he added.
READ: What happened to Aquino鈥檚 鈥榬eady to be run over by train鈥� quip?
During a campaign sortie of the Team PNoy slate in 2013 in Cavite, Aquino said he and Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya were ready to be run over by train if the extension would not push through within two years.
鈥淢aybe the two of us can be run over by a train if this project won鈥檛 materialize,鈥� Aquino said in Filipino.
READ: Aquino ready 鈥榯o be run over by train鈥� if LRT project misses 2015 deadline
Asked about Aquino鈥檚 remarks as the deadline nears, Coloma maintained that the President鈥檚 statement should put into context and not be taken in a literal sense.
鈥淏aka naman mas lohikal o mas makatuwiran na hindi naman maging literal 鈥榶ung interpretation natin, at unawain natin na gustong-gusto talaga ng Pangulo na mapahusay 鈥榶ung serbisyo doon. Seryoso siya doon sa determinasyon na mabigyan ng isang mahusay na mass transport system,鈥� Coloma said.
鈥淯nawain lang ng ating mga kababayan na hindi ganoon kadali 鈥榶ung pagbubuo ng ganyang proyekto ngunit dahil desidido ang pamahalaan ay buo naman 鈥榶ung determinasyon na maipatupad ito at makumpleto ito,鈥� he added.