Thank you very much to Secretary Jimmy Bautista for his kind introduction. [Please take your seats, please.]

I’m only going to talk for an hour and a half. His Excellency The Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa; our members from the Upper House of our legislature, let me greet them all: Senator Grace Poe who has joined us this morning, Senator JV Ejercito, Senator Mark Villar; and of course our host for today’s ceremonies Mayor  Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto; the JICA Representative — the enormous part that JICA has played not only in this project but in the many projects in the past that have been developmental for the economy of the Philippines and so we must acknowledge their long-standing assistance and representing JICA now is JICA Chief Representative Takema Sakamoto; all my fellow workers in government; ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

Despite the fact that it is raining, it is still a very bright day today. Because today, we welcome the brimming promises brought by our drive for innovation with the groundbreaking ceremony of the Metro Manila Subway Contract Package 104.

As the Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard stations pan through the business district of Pasig City, we look forward that this project will benefit approximately 150,000 passengers a day by the year 2028.

To everyone’s knowledge, the CP104 is part of the
33-kilometer Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) Phase 1—the first subway project in the Philippines. Once operational, the MMSP Phase 1 will reduce travel time between Quezon City and the Manila Airport from one hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes.

This foreign-assisted project is under the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

With this, of course, we also acknowledge Tokyu Construction Co., Ltd., Tobishima Corporation, and Megawide Construction Corporation, for embarking upon this joint venture for the Metro Manila Subway [Contract] Package 104.

Banking on their expertise and their experiences on the various railroad, tunnel, and terminal projects that they have completed around the world, we trust that our commuters will soon enjoy the unique brand of service and advanced transportation systems that this project will bring.

Indeed, we are quite honored to have them work with us to make our transport operations more efficient, more modern, and more attuned to our daily life in 2022 and beyond.

As we break the ground for this portion of our subway system, we fervently hope to soon enjoy the benefits that it brings to the general public.

With accessible designated stations that can cater to a massive volume of passengers, we anticipate helping our people skip the long lines of traffic and even spare themselves from the perils of commuting.

With the improved linkages of key areas and business districts in the metro as well as the availability of stalls and other stores in the stations and nearby markets, we can see more business opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors, and additional economic activity.

As our people gain more time by cutting long hours of travel, they can now engage in more worthwhile and productive endeavors, making time for greater self-improvement or equally important spending quality time with their families.

I thus look forward to the brighter days that this initiative will give us in the future. Although it is a given that the construction of these structures will take time and cause disruption, let us be optimistic and just count these small inconveniences as a small price to pay for the fruitful results that this program, this project will yield.

Let the breaking ground of this subway system signal our intention to the world to pursue even grander dreams and more ambitious endeavors that will bring comfort and progress to our people all over the country.

Be assured that this administration will take the lead in identifying, pursuing, and implementing projects as part of the Build Better More Infrastructure Agenda that we have laid out.

With this serving as our guide moving forward, let our shared aspirations for a better, brighter, and more prosperous Philippines enkindle in all of us Filipinos a renewed zeal and purpose to work for the advancement of our countrymen.

Maraming, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Mabuhay po ang Pilipinas! Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.

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Watch here: Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Metro Manila Subway Project
Location: Metrowalk Commercial Complex in Pasig City