BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – “Too ambitious a project” was how Iloilo’s Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. described the proposed Light Railway Transport (LRT) system from this city to Kalibo, Aklan.
The governor said he is not receptive to the idea because, among others, the project requires a substantial amount of money.
“I could not say I’m in favor of it because it is too ambitious. It should be studied first,” Defensor said.
In a letter dated July 7 to Assistant Secretary Ildefonso Patdu Jr., head of the Department of Transportation and Communications’ Project Implementation Office for Roads and Railways, Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog of Iloilo City requested a feasibility study on the LRT system for Panay Island.
He said the LRT system could “connect Iloilo City to Kalibo” and “definitely boost the commerce, trade and tourism industry not only of the two provinces but the entire island of Panay.”
Defensor recalled that during the administration of then President Fidel Ramos, he requested DOTC and the President to conduct a feasible study on a proposed railway from Iloilo to Capiz.
The study showed the proposal not feasible, will not make money, and will not be sustainable, Defensor said./PN
