The consortium behind the proposed breakthrough national logistics integrated backbone project has reaffirmed its commitment to complete the infrastructure program within the remaining years of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration — provided swift government action is taken.
The proposal, a collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), seeks to convert thousands of kilometers of decommissioned railway corridors — including the Philippine National Railways (PNR), Panay Railways Inc. (PRI), and portions of the idle Mindanao Railway — into a digitally and physically interconnected logistics grid. These would serve both mass passenger and agricultural cargo transport needs across Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Unlike conventional railway rehabilitation, the plan, presented by Francis Yucheco, Philtrak Inc. chairman and CEO, touts a multi-income, low-maintenance program that avoids the pitfalls of expensive and unsustainable imported rail systems. Citing the detrimental economic impact of decades-old decommissioning, particularly on marginalized farmers and fisherfolk, the consortium positions its proposal as a long-overdue, homegrown solution aligned with the Proudly Filipino Act (RA 11981) and the Intellectual Property Code (RA 8293).
Originally approved for interim implementation under President Fidel V. Ramos in 1997, the project was postponed due to the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis. Today, the group claims it has the technological, operational, and financial capacity to finally deliver, especially with access to offshore funds already benefiting similar global initiatives.
A revised feasibility study is being prepared for submission to the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center, but the group warns that delays in endorsement could jeopardize urgent economic recovery efforts, particularly in agriculture and supply chain stability.
The consortium is seeking a one-year emergency implementation window, during which it vows to complete the full transformation of PNR, PRI, and 20 percent of the Mindanao railway network within President Marcos Jr. ‘s term. Yuseco said a comprehensive presentation to relevant agencies is being offered to demonstrate the project’s viability and timeline.
