📋 Tender Overview
(Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez during the Big Bold Reforms Economic Forum organized by the Department of Finance and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Photo courtesy of DOTr) QUEZON CITY (PIA) -- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is fast-tracking big-ticket infrastructure projects and improving the countrys transport systems. Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez vowed Friday to expedite the construction of big-ticket projects and resolve right-of-way issues to improve transport systems and enhance the countrys competitiveness, in compliance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.s directives. Lahat po ng pondong inilaan para sa mga imprastraktura, diretsong mapakikinabangan ng mga Pilipino, said Lopez. The transport chief explained that expediting the construction of transport projects means ramping up infrastructure spending on projects that will truly benefit the Filipino people. According to DOTr, in 2025, the department has an allotted budget of P103.05 billion for its infrastructure projects: railways, aviation, maritime, and road sectors. Of the budget, P93.33 billion (90.57%) has been obligated, while P59.63 billion (63.89%) has been disbursed. For this year, the transportation sector has allotted a P74.5 billion budget for infrastructure flagship projects. With this, we are very much committed to continuing our efforts to expedite the completion of all existing projects and deliver them within the timeline, Lopez noted. He added that DOTr wants to ensure the public and investors that the budget will be spent efficiently to ensure that our projects truly address the needs of our commuters. Among the priority projects that DOTr is focused on completing are the 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), Metro Manila Subway Project, MRT-7, and the rehabilitation of the MRT-3. In the road sector, the DOTr has started modernizing the EDSA Busway, while also fast-tracking the construction of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (Cebu-BRT) and the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTMP). Likewise, the transport agency is modernizing the countrys airports with the soon-to-be inaugurated Antique and Laoag airports, and the continued expansion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The Philippines is positioning its seaports--whether publicly or privately developed--as competitive, predictable, and investment-ready platforms that support trade expansion, logistics efficiency, tourism growth, and the clean energy transition, according to Secretary Lopez. The DOTr added that Siargao will get a boost in its tourism sector as the new passenger terminal building of Siargao Airport is expected to be completed in April this year, expanding its passenger capacity from 200 to 750. Also to be inaugurated is the Port of Jubang in Dapa, Surigao Del Norte, in the first quarter of 2026. The port will serve as a dedicated cruise facility designed to boost tourism by accommodating international cruise ships. DOTr targets to finish new road sections in SLEX, CALAX, Cavite-CALAX Link Expressway or CCLink, C-5, and Skyway Stage 3 this year, making land travel faster and more convenient for motorists. (JEG/PIA-NCR)
