Subway in Metro Manila? It can be done - MMDA chief

MANILA, Philippines - Is an underground railway project viable for Metro Manila?

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Francis Tolentino said in a television interview on Thursday that there has been a proposal - complete with geological studies - showing that a subway system from The Fort in Taguig City to an area near a shopping mall in North Edsa in Quezon City is feasible.

Tolentino said the project is supported by Secretary Rogelio Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

"It's a proposal being supported by Secretary Singson. Apparently decades ago, there was an unsolicited proposal giving the DPWH a comprehensive study that a subway is workable," said Tolentino.

"Ang sabi ni Secretary Babes (Rogelio Singson), it can be done," Tolentino said. "Ang exact words nga niya (on the project): 'game-changer.'"

The MMDA chief also believes that with today's machines and boring systems, an underground railway project "can be fast-tracked."

"Kayang gawin nang walang nakakaramdan. When New York is building another subway line, walang nakakaramdam, 10 floors below," he said.

In a radio interview earlier this week, urban planning expert Architect Felino Palafox Jr. said it's about time to build a subway system to solve the traffic woes in the metro.

He said all populous cities in the world have a subway system since it is a good solution for people mobility.

Palafox also said a subway project for Metro Manila had been planned as early as the 1970s.