Philippine Infradev Holdings Inc. said Wednesday it will discuss with City of Makati some modifications in the P125-billion intra-city subway project in view of a Supreme Court ruling that transferred certain city districts to the jurisdiction of neighboring Taguig City.
“Under the Joint Venture Agreement executed between the Makati City Government and the Company, the depot and a few stations of the Makati City subway system will be in the affected areas. Also, the alignment of the subway will no longer be feasible,” said Philippine Infradev.
The listed investment holding company focused on real estate and infrastructure development said it has sent a notice to Makati City to start discussions for possible changes in the joint venture deal and will inform securities regulators of material developments.
The subway is scheduled to start operations in 2025 and is expected to accommodate 700,000 passengers daily. It will have nine stations and will be connected to MRT Line 3, the Pasig River Ferry, and the Metro Manila Subway that is now under construction.
But because of the Supreme Court ruling that removes the 10 “EMBO” barangays from Makati’s jurisdiction, revisions to the initial railway alignment and construction plans will have to be made and that inevitably result in costly delays which would financially hurt the project.
Affected by the high court ruling are the Makati Subway’s depot that is planned in Barangay Cembo, a station in University of Makati in West Rembo, and another planned station in Ospital ng Makati in Pembo.
It is unclear at this time how substantive the impact on the subway project would be and how many commuters would suffer because of the railways’ potential realignment.
