MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is supporting the traditional process of addressing right-of way (ROW) issues to hasten the completion of major infrastructure projects.
The Chief Executive tackled the matter during his meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council-Infrastructure Sector Group (PSAC-ISG) and other concerned agencies since there is a proposed measure seeking to amend the process.
In the old process, a writ of possession may already be secured after making a 15% initial payment for the property affected by the ROW process.
“That’s very, very timely because we had a briefing on the flagship projects and the delays…talagang malaking delay sa right of way. So, I spoke to the SolGen about it,” Marcos said.
He added: “So now, we suggest ibalik na lang sa dati. After you pay 15 percent, turnover na. Now, if you want to argue about valuation, go ahead. But the project can already begin. They’ve (legislators) agreed to that.”
President Marcos said the executive branch would draft an accompanying bill for the Senate to file and to serve as basis for the final draft that will come out in Congress.
President Marcos earlier directed the creation of an Inter-Agency Committee for Right-of Way (ROW) Activities for National Railway Projects, which aims to streamline the process of land acquisition for all the railway projects.
In February 2023, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill expediting ROW acquisition and implementation on infrastructure projects./PN
