From September 10, 2018
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=TagumPhotographer&set=a.2216386618389990TAGUM CITY - With the construction of the Tagum-Davao-Digos Segment (TDD) of the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) slated to commence in February 2019, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the City Government of Tagum have called on the owners of the properties that would be greatly affected by the railway project to opt for a negotiated sale between the landholders and the national government to fast-track the process of acquiring the lands for this big ticket project.
This, after Ms. Patmei B. Ruivivar, the OIC- Project Manager of the TDD segment of the railway project in the island stated during the Right of Way and Site Acquisition (ROWSA) Stakeholders Engagement that the DOTr would only have until the month of December of the current year to hold the funds needed to pay the just compensation of the property owners as the funds would be reverted back to the national coffers of the country.
Tagged as the biggest project in Mindanao under the Build Build Build Program of President Rodrigo Duterte, the MRP’s TDD segment will be affecting 158 households in Barangay Mankilam’s Purok Lumboy, Magkidong, Mangga, Orchids, Papaya and Abaca, and Purok 9 in Barangay San Miguel, with Purok Abaca in Mankilam bearing the brunt as 60 families will need to sell their land to the national government in exchange of a just compensation.
Notably, in a Negotiated Sale, the value of the property, which will be determined by a private, independent appraiser accredited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, will be based on a Fair Market Value (FMV) so as to fairly compensate the property owners for their land and all the improvements thereon.
City Assessor Alfredo Silawan, however, stated that should the appraiser and the property owner fail to come to an agreement with regard to the amount of the just compensation, and with the current year already coming to a close, the national government would be compelled to resort to the Doctrine of Expropriation where authorities would take possession of the property from the owner to ensure that the commencement of the railway project will not be derailed and thus would redound to the benefit of the public.
Additionally, it was stated that in a case of expropriation, the value of the property affected would be based on the Zonal Value set by the local government unit, the amount of which is lower than the FMV offered by the independent appraiser for a Negotiated Sale.
The DOTr has said that the TDD Segment of the MRP would have a length of 102 kilometers with dual and electrified tracks that would service six passenger trains having 5-car Electronic Multiple Units (EMU); the trains would have an operating speed of 100 kph.
Incidentally, the first phase of the railway project would bring about more jobs for Tagumenyos as priority would be given to residents of Tagum in relation to the construction of the station, the depot and the tracks; its maintenance is poised to be properly addressed by local residents who are being encouraged to undertake courses in railway engineering through the Philippine Railway Institute which is being established by the national government to ensure that the human resources manning the project is on par with the international standards and practices.
During the stakeholders’ engagement, the role of the local government of Tagum in the TDD Project Coordinating Body was highlighted, with Mayor Allan Rellon named as part of the Steering Committee; the coordinating body was formed to ensure that ownership and control of the project will remain with the stakeholders in the region and that the implementation of the project will be done in a manner that is more efficient, inclusive and transparent.
The City Planning Officer, City Engineer, City Assessor, Head of Traffic Management Office, the ABC President and the SP Chair on Infrastructure /Public Works were also tagged as members of the body’s technical working group (TWG) whose functions include the facilitation of the right-of-way acquisition and clearance from obstructions along the project alignment and facilitation of community acceptance of the project, among others. (Richi Gulle/ CIO- Tagum) See Less
September 10, 2018
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