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MANILA, Philippines — Presidential contender Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is all for the construction of a Mindanao railway as it would speed up economic development in the region.
“I strongly believe in railways. I think it’s better to have a railway than a road because it is the cheapest way to move passengers and cargo. So when we open up and put in place the railway system, that’s a big boost for the economy,” Marcos said in Filipino in an online press conference, which he conducted from Cagayan de Oro.
He pointed out that compared to Luzon and Visayas, Mindanao had been lagging in development.
“The reason why Mindanao was or has been that [far] behind is because there has been fighting,” Marcos said.
So peace in the region would be good for development and more development would in turn boost its security, he explained.
“If we maintain that peace we can start to develop Mindanao properly,” he said “The security will improve when the development improves because there would be no reason to fight. If all the needs of the people will be given, then there’s no reason to have any conflicts anymore.”
The Department of Transportation (DOTR) earlier announced its plans to start the construction of a major railway system in Mindanao in the first half of 2022.
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