THE multibillion-peso deal for the construction of an intermodal transport hub north of Metro Manila will be rolled out soon, as the deal for the exact location of the facility is set to be signed within the month, a Cabinet official said.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said talks with the Department of National Defense for the utilization of a portion of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center complex for the construction of the Integrated Transport System (ITS) North Terminal have been fruitful, with the two parties eager to jump-start the project by the first quarter of 2016.
“Hopefully, we could sign this December with the Department of National Defense. Only then we could publish the invitation to bid for the ITS North. The feasibility study is about to be done,” he said in an interview.
He could not give further details as to the amount of the project, but according to Transportation Undersecretary Rene K. Limcaoco, the facility will cost around P4 billion to P6 billion. Earlier, Transportation Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo M. Lotilla explained that the location suits the parameters set by the government for the facility.
For one, it is near the three railway systems in Metro Manila, namely, the Light Rail Transit Line 1, the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 and the future MRT 7, which will run from North Edsa to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.
The transportation department has three key considerations in choosing the best location for the infrastructure: cost, time of travel and passenger convenience.
Once negotiations with the defense department have concluded, and the location for the project has been chosen, the transport agency will then endorse the deal to the National Economic and Development Authority Board, which is chaired by President Aquino.
The project’s siblings, the P2.5-billion ITS Southwest Terminal and the P4-billion ITS South Terminal are also progressing.
The first one has been awarded to Megawide Construction Corp. and partner Walter Mart Property Management Inc. of billionaire and retail magnate Henry Sy, while the South Terminal was bagged by Ayala Corp.