P12.4B set for ROW payments
THE government has allocated at least P12.4 billion this year to pay for private real properties that are in the way of public infrastructure projects.
The right-of-way (ROW) payments was included in the budget of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) under the 2023 General Appropriations Law.
The ROW payments are in accordance with Article III, Section 9 of the Constitution, which forbids the government from taking private property for public use without just compensation.
The bulk of the ROW payments would go to landowners affected by the 148-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway; the 33-kilometer Metro Manila Subway; the 11-kilometer LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension; and the 175-hectare New Zamboanga International Airport, according to Pimentel.
“While these ongoing projects will take several years to complete, they are already stimulating our economy and creating tens of thousands of construction-related jobs that benefit low-income households,” Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
The House of Representatives earlier approved on third and final reading a bill that would expedite ROW acquisition, which has been a leading cause of delays in the execution of infrastructure projects.
Under House Bill No. 6571, affected landowners would be offered either current market value or zonal value for their properties, as determined by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, whichever is higher.
