MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday for two major underground stations of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), marking the start of construction for the transit system’s vital segments in Taguig City.
The commencement of Contract Package 105 (CP 105) involves the construction of the Kalayaan Avenue and Bonifacio Global City (BGC) stations, along with 1.331 kilometers of tunnels. The Kalayaan Avenue Station is situated beneath BGC’s 11th Avenue and the Uptown Open Parking, while the BGC Station will be located along McKinley Parkway, positioned between the Serendra and Market! Market! complexes.
During the ceremony, President Marcos emphasized that the BGC segments are expected to serve approximately 200,000 passengers daily during the subway’s first year of operations. He highlighted the project as a definitive solution to the chronic traffic congestion that has long burdened the capital’s workforce and student population.
“It is time to end the decades of suffering for our commuters,” the Chief Executive said in Filipino, noting that the time saved from traffic will allow Filipinos more hours to spend with their families.
Prior to the Taguig event, the President also conducted an inspection of the Shaw Boulevard Station in Pasig City, which falls under Contract Package 104. Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez affirmed that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is currently fast-tracking construction across all segments to deliver a safe and convenient transport alternative as soon as possible.
The project continues to see strong international backing, with Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya attending the groundbreaking to reiterate Japan’s commitment. Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the ambassador noted that the subway serves as the “backbone” of a more sustainable urban environment for Metro Manila, directly addressing issues of pollution and gridlock.
Once fully completed, the 33.1-kilometer subway will span from Valenzuela City to Parañaque City, terminating in Bicutan, Taguig. The system will also feature a dedicated spur line to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. Officials project that the subway will accommodate over 500,000 passengers daily, effectively cutting the travel time between Quezon City and NAIA from over an hour to just 35 minutes.