THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said it completed negotiations with 212 landowners affected by the Pampanga section of the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) Railway Project.
“The BCDA has successfully completed negotiations with 212 lot owners, 163 of whom have already received either partial or full compensation,” BCDA said in a statement on Tuesday.
The SCMB railway project runs for 26.9 kilometers in Porac and Floridablanca, Pampanga, affecting 519 lots.
On March 4, the BCDA said it distributed another 36 transfer certificates of title (TCTs) to landowners affected by the project. The initial distribution involved 68 certificates in November.
“The SCMB Railway Project would not succeed without the support of the landowners who yielded to the railway’s requirements,” BCDA Vice-President and Subic-Clark Railway Project Director Jocelyn L. Caniones said.
“This development emphasizes affected landowners’ important role in the realization of the Luzon Economic Corridor vision,” she added.
Citing Republic Act 10752, or the Right-of-Way Act, BCDA said that the owner of properties affected by a project and the implementing agency are to “execute a deed of absolute sale, with the implementing agency facilitating the annotation of the deed of absolute sale on the TCTs.”
“TCTs are legal documents that serve as evidence of ownership of registered land,” BCDA said.
The SCMB railway project is one of the flagship projects of the Luzon Economic Corridor, which aims to provide connectivity and freight transport services between the Port of Subic, Clark International Airport, the Port of Manila, and the Port of Batangas.
Collectively, the four ports handle about 80% of the country’s port traffic.
“The BCDA continues to facilitate the right-of-way acquisition for the project, as the National Government remains optimistic about the project’s implementation,” the BCDA said.
“The feasibility study for the project will be jointly undertaken by the US, Sweden, and the Asian Development Bank,” it added.
The Luzon Economic Corridor is being undertaken via a trilateral agreement entered into by the Philippines, the US, and Japan.
Part of a broader collaboration supported by the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, it aims to strengthen connectivity in Metro Manila, Batangas, Subic, and Clark. — Justine Irish D. Tabile