GOVERNMENT officials, led by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., attended Monday, October 3, 2022, the groundbreaking of the Metro Manila Subway Project, Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard Stations.In his speech, Marcos said the Metro Manila Subway Project will provide more business opportunities, reduce the travel time of commuters and will create additional economic activity.“With accessible designated stations that can cater to a massive volume of passengers, we anticipate helping our people skip the long lines of traffic and even spare themselves from the perils of commuting. With the improved linkages of key areas and business districts in the metro, as well as the availability of stalls and other stores in the stations and nearby markets, we can see more business opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors, and additional economic activity,” he said.“As our people gain more time by cutting long hours of travel, they can now engage in more worthwhile and productive endeavors, making time for greater self-improvement or equally important spending quality time with their families,” he added.He, however, sought for the understanding of the affected commuters and motorists over the disruption amid the closure of a major road to give way to the ongoing construction.“Let us be optimistic and just count these small inconveniences as a small price to pay for the fruitful results that this program, this project will yield,” he said.Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said the project is expected to be operational by 2028.The subway system will run from Valenzuela to Bicutan. It is expected to cut down the usual two hours or more travel time from Valenzuela to Bicutan to just 45 minutes with five minutes waiting time at each station.It will have 17 stations, with interconnection on the current railway system in Metro Manila such as the LRT, MRT and PNR.Each of the eight car train sets can carry a maximum of 2,242 passengers in one trip. Over 519,000 passengers per day are expected to be catered by the subway system.The P488.47 billion worth project will be funded by a loan agreement between the Philippines and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.Also present during the event were Senators Grace Poe, JV Ejercito and Mark Villar and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. (SunStar Philippines)