(Courtesy of DOTR)
MANILA – To attract more investors, local government units (LGUs) can help the national government by developing their own mass transportation systems to help solve traffic problems that affect economic growth.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday that he filed Senate Bill 951 or the LGU Transportation for interconnectivity and integration of existing proposed national and local intermodal transportation systems.
“An efficient transport system is critical in generating economic activities. We should empower our local government units to establish their own mass transportation systems,” Gatchalian said in a news release.
He said the bill is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable through access to safe, affordable, and sustainable transport systems.
In Metro Manila, the city government of Valenzuela, where the Gatchalians hail, entered into a partnership with Global Electric Transport Philippines for the deployment of Community Optimized Managed Electric Transport (COMET) electric shuttles.
The COMET units shuttle commuters within and outside of Valenzuela.
Makati City is likewise undertaking a mass transport project through its Intra-City Subway project, which can operate 18 hours a day and ferry 700,000 passengers.
Once completed, the subway project is expected to reduce 270,000 vehicles on the road by 2048, mitigating Makati’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2.3 million metric tons, and is targeted to create 10,000 jobs for residents.
Through the bill, LGUs can create sustainable state-of-the-art mass public transportation systems with the concept of livable smart cities through various financial capabilities and arrangements involving both private and public entities, even without sovereign guarantee, according to Gatchalian. (PNA)
