Extended LRT-2 line
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte inaugurated yesterday the extended Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2, trumpeting the multibillion-peso project would reduce travel time from Manila to Antipolo City from four hours via bus or jeepney to just 30-40 minutes.
The construction of the P4.5-billion project is part of the Duterte government’s “Build, Build, Build” program, which is projected to take impoverished Philippines, a nation of more than 100 million people, in a historic new direction.
In inaugurating the Antipolo and Marikina LRT Line 2 stations, Duterte, whose six-year presidency ends on June 30 next year, said the extended line and other developments would be “responsive to the challenges of the 21st century.”
With the new LRT-2 stations, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), headed by Secretary Arthur Tugade, urged commuters, mostly students and workers, to ride the train and ease traffic congestion in Marikina, Pasig and Antipolo.
The Chief Executive said the LRT extension project will improve mobility and ensure transportation connectivity, particularly in the eastern part of Metropolitan Manila.
“Now our commuters can travel faster, be more productive at work and enjoy quality time with theirt loved ones, especially in the middle of this health crisis,” said Duterte.
At the same time, he commended the DOTr and all its private sector partners for the completion of the project despite the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Records show that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board approved the multi-billion-peso project way back in September 2012.
However, the actual construction started only on Feb. 20, 2017, just more than seven months after Duterte assumed the top political post of the land at 12 noon on June 30, 2016.
Although the crusading Duterte administration nears its end, it continues to demonstrate a capacity to uphold public interest, drawing cheers from the Filipino people.
