Senator Manny Pacquiao (Contributed photo)
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate Sen. Manny Pacquiao on Thursday said that he wants the country to boost the transportation system with a bullet train service “from north to south.”
“Ang pangarap ko po ay magkaroon tayo ng bullet train from north to south,” Pacquiao said during the “Ikaw Na Ba?” presidential interview of radio station DZBB.
(My dream is for us to have a bullet train from north to south.)
Japan’s bullet train or “Shinkansen”
Pacquiao noted that billions of pesos are lost due to the traffic problem.
He said the solution to traffic woes is the prioritization of more infrastructure projects.
“Bilyon-bilyon po ang nalulugi sa ating bansa dahil sa problema ng trapiko natin. Ang kailangan po nating solusyon dyan ay additional way, karagdagang skyway at underpass, pwede nga subway system, mga train natin madagdagan pa para ‘yung iba hindi na mag-isip na magdala pa ng sasakyan kundi sasakay na lang sa MRT (Metro Rail Transit),” he added.
(The country loses billions due to traffic congestion. We need additional skyways and underpasses, a subway system, and more trains so that private car owners can opt to take public transportation.)
The Department of Transportation’s Metro Manila Subway project is expected to be fully operational by the third quarter of 2027.
Pacquiao said the subway project of the country should be expanded in time.