Wazzup Pilipinas!
Finance Secretary of the Philippines Cesar Purisima together with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative of Japan Noriaki Niwa signed the US$ 2 Billion Loan Agreement for the North-South Commuter Railway Project (Malolos-Tutuban) of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) on November 27, 2015 at the Mezzanine Floor Lobby of the Robinsons (JG) Summit Center, Ayala Avenue, Makati City.
Also attending the signing were DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya, Department of Finance National Treasurer Roberto Tan, JICA Senior Representative Tetsuya Yamada, and JICA Section Chief Keisuke Fukui.
The project supports the expansion of a mass transportation network which is recognized as one of the priorities in the 2011-2016 Philippine Development Plan aiming to improve the efficiency of land transportation capacities in Metro Manila. It also seeks to provide a more environmentally sustainable mode of transport through the construction of about 37 km new elevated commuter railway from Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila, procurement of rolling stock, and installation of electro-mechanical systems.