RESURRECTING THE PHILIPPINE RAILWAY SYSTEM

An excellent point guard who can and will make sure that the plays are properly executed.” This, in basketball parlance, is howPhilippine National Railways (PNR) Chairman Michael Ted R. Macapagal describes his role in the Philippine railway system today. After all, he has been tasked to ensure that the “plays”—the detailed plans— for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project are conscientiously followed.

FLAGSHIP PROJECT

“The NSCR is a flagship project of the current administration, and thePNR and Department of Transportation (DOTR) are pressed to complete it during President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s term,” Macapagal states. It is part of the Medium- term Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and is being implemented as part of the present administration’s Build Better More program.The NSCR is a 147-kilometer urban rail transit system that will run from Tarlac to Laguna. The project is one of the government’s efforts to promote inclusive growth and improve the transport and logistics services to currently underserved areas in the country. It is expected to ease traffic congestion while accelerating economic growth and expansion along the project’s coverage.

The project involves the rehabilitation of existing railway lines stretching from New Clark City in Tarlac down to Calamba, Laguna. It aims to provide a modern, more efficient, and more sustainable means of transportation for commuters traveling within and between the provinces surrounding Metro Manila.

“The cost of the entire project is about Php800 billion,” Macapagal reveals. “It includes three different aspects, namely civil works, electromechanical works, and the procurement of the trains.The trains are being procured from Japan. We have ordered 52 commuter passenger traits, and eight express trains for a total of 60.”

The NSCR trains will be totally different from the existing PNR trains. “We’re doing away with diesel locomotive trains. We will be using brand new electric trains. All of these will be procured from Japan so we can be sure that they are at par with world standards. And most of the railway will now be elevated,” Macapagal adds.

The depots will be fully equipped to service and repair trains. The stations, meanwhile, will be built to ensure interconnectivity with other means of transportation. These will be near malls and restaurants, so that commuters can have access to different services right after they step off the trains.

Macapagal is bent on finishing the project within the president’s term, as scheduled. “We are on time. We are looking at doing test runs by 2026. And we will have full operations by 2028,” assures. “There are still challenges. I will not say that there are none. But these are being taken care of.”

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE

Macapagal is no stranger to public service. In 2017, he was appointed by then-President Rodrigo Duterte to the board of directors of Clark Development Corporation (CDC), a government-owned and controlled corporation tasked with operating, administering, managing, and developing theClark Freeport Zone and the Clark Special Economic Zone. After a year and a half, he joined the board of directors of the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), where he served for about three years.

When Marcos assumed office, he extended an invitation to Macapagal to be the chairman of PNR. “At that time, I was not sure as to whether or not I would accept the position. Because at that time, I was thinking, what are the trends and what’s new?” Macapagal reveals. “But when I realized that the government is currently building the most advanced and most technologically superior train system in

the country, which is at par with world standards, I felt that it’s my duty and obligation as a Filipino to be part of this revolutionary endeavor. Hence, I accepted it.” “Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa ating mahal na pangulo. (I am thankful to our beloved president), the chairman states. “The flagship project will bring to the Philippines the kind of railway system that you could see only in other countries such as Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and also in Europe. That’s why, I’m very excited. This is a wonderful time to be in the railway sector.”

SUPER MIKE

Macapagal’s background in politics has served him well in his various endeavors. His father, Teddy Macapagal Jr., is best described as a “legendary human rights lawyer” who gave free legal assistance to those facing legal challenges. He was a founding member of PDP-Laban, a member of the Free Legal Assitance Group (FLAG), and Olongapo City mayor.“My father is my hero,” Macapagal declares. “And, they say, sons tend to follow in their father’s footsteps, right? My father was first elected councilor and was later on involved in social issues, providing free legal services to the people of Central Luzon. And later he became mayor of Olongapo. I looked up to him, admired him a lot that after he retired from politics and I had gone to the United States, I felt incomplete and something’s telling me on the back of my mind that I have an unfinished business.”

The urge to give public service the way his father and namesake pushed Macapagal to enter the field of electoral politics. He fell short ofhis aim to represent the 1st District of Zambalez in Congress in 2016, bowing to the patriarch of a well-established political clan in the province.

The neophyte politician’s unsuccessful run, however, did not stop him from furthering his political beliefs and helping his fellow residents of Olongapo. As PDP-Laban Olongapo- Zambales chapter president from 2016 to 2021, he continued espousing the party’s ideals of faith in God, respect for human dignity, nationalism, and participatory democracy, among others.

Beyond politics, Macapagal has also been an active advocate of consumer rights protection. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Macapagal established Super Gapo, a consumer advocacy group meant to protect consumers from unfair business practices being implemented by the local electric distribution company.

“When I ran unsuccessfully for congressman, I was given the nickname ‘Super Mike,’ and the name stuck,” Macapagal says. “And during the pandemic, [being deserving of such nickname] became more apparent. Through Super Gapo, we were able to help the poorest of the poor get past the pandemic. We helped them deal with consumer issues dealing with electricity, water, and other basic services.”

With Olongapo not getting as much media attention as other urban centers like Metro Manila, Macapagal felt the need to have a means to amplify the people’s voices. “The problem in Olongapo is because we’re not in the country’s geographical center, yung mga hinaing ng mga kababayan ko ay hindi naririnig (the people’s concerns are not given due attention). So we put together Super Gapo to assist those people. And, humbly speaking, we were able to help out a good number of people who are in dire need of help in Olongapo.”

DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY

Confident that the NSCR will turn the Philippine railway system around, Macapagal wants to ensure that things will go as planned. Thus, with the government having clearly outlined and defined the right thing to do, Macapagal is bent on doing things the right way. This, he made sufficiently clear in his first days in office.

“When I assumed office, I give a warning not only to the people who are doing business here at PNR, but most importantly to people who are using my name to transact business with PNR and with other agencies, especially in connection to the NSCR project,” the chairman reveals.

Having received reports that some unscrupulous individuals had tried to benefit personally from the project, the PNR has sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation to put a stop to unauthorized transactions. “We have to be strict,” Macapagal stresses. “We want things to be done correctly. There’s no other way but the correct way to do it,” he stresses.

Part of the efforts to put things in order is the emphasis on transparency.“You can see all the bidding activities.They were streamed live on Facebook,” Macapagal reveals. All NSCR bidding activities, he shares, were done during the previous administration, and he constantly checks on the progress of project components to ensure that all contracts are well-implemented.

ENSURING THE PEOPLE’S WELFARE

With the magnitude of the project, Macapagal has to deal with a multitude of concerns, among them the welfare of informal settler families to be resettled, the workers who will be temporarily reassigned, and the commuters who will be affected during the construction.

“We are currently working on the resettlement of informal settler families,” Macapagal bares. “I have coordinated with the Office of the Solicitor General; I talked directly with the solicitor general so that any expropriation cases that have to be filed will be processed immediately. We are also working together with the National Housing Authority to provide resettlement sites as part of the comprehensive relocation plan for all people who will be dislocated.”

It’s also important to me because, of course we want to take care of our countrymen, the masa. Also, at the same time, the project needs to be completed because they will be the ones to benefit in the end. PNR trains are the most affordable means of transportation in the country right now, even more affordable than jeepneys and tricycles. Emphasizing that PNR train passengers come from the masses, Macapagal declares that the agency “cannot afford not to finish this project because this will change the lives of Filipinos, both rich and poor.”

Meanwhile, PNR employees are not about to lose their jobs because of the suspension of operations in the metropolis to give way to construction activities. “Our existing trains will service the entire Bicol area,” Macapagal reveals. But even as operations will be migrated to the south, most of the PNR emplolyees will still be based in Manila. They will just go to the south on a regular basis to check on the operations there. “What’s important is that operations will continue.”

As the cessation of PNR operations in Metro Manila starting March 2024 is expected to cause a burden on passengers, the chairman appeals to them for understanding. “Hihingi lamang po kaming kaunting pasensiya, at tatapusin ko po ang konstruksiyon ng NSCR sa takdang panahon, (We would like to appeal for a little patience, and we will finish the construction of NSCR as scheduled), ” he says.

Comfort and safety are just two of the things the riding public will be assured of once the project is completed. “We will provide security, we will provide comfort, and we will provide safety to our riding public. We’re going to keep the trains clean by not allowing people to bring food and throw garbage just anywhere,” Macapagal assures. “I’m a very strict regarding that because it’s important.”

Simply put, Macapagal promises Filipinos a world-class railway system we can all be proud of. “Hopefully, the next admin can build on what we have started,” he states.

EMPHASIS ON TEAMWORK

With Macapagal at the driver’s seat at PNR, stakeholders are confident that things will go as planned, and he will be able to bring about a complete turnaround for the country’s railway system. He, however, is quick to deflect praise, saying that the success of the NSCR and the PNR in general “is really about teamwork, team effort.”

“If President Marcos is the coach of the railway sector, then Secretary Jaime Bautista is our team captain, because he’s providing us with everything that we need,” the chairman says. “I’m the point guard, the one running the plays. Without

an efficient point guard, a good coach or team captain won’t have as much success. It’s about teamwork.”

In basketball, the point guard is a key player, being the one in charge of actually directing the team’s actions during the game by deciding which plays to execute. A good point guard is a team player, knowing the right player to give the ball to at the right time in order for the team to score and eventually win. He must be able to communicate clearly with his teammates and make instant decisions. The above characteristics, Macapagal has shown not only in his present position but all through his stint as a public servant.

“We were ordered by our dear President Marcos. We were given instructions by Secretary Jimmy. Lahat naman po ng inuutos nila, pinipilit po nating ipatupad sa tulong ngmga kasamahan natin sa ahensiya. (We’re trying to execute all of their instructions with the help of our men and women in the agency.)”

The chairman acknowledges the crucial role of the other officials and employees of PNR. “I am impressed with the people thatI have met here,” he says. “They have been very supportive of me from the start. All the people here at PNR are very professional and they have guided me along the way.”

Also serving as important guides for Macapagal are vital lessons he has learned from her aunt, former President and incumbent Pampanga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Marcos. Macapagal Arroyo, he says, “isa peacemaker whois adept at bringing people together and striking compromises to get things done.”On the other hand, he describes Marcos as “a unifying force, a leader who has chosen to concentrate on his role as president even as people around him are throwing various issues and accusations at him.”

Macapagal’s close association with the two, as well as Duterte, have never hampered his ability to look at things with an objective eye. “I don’t stick my nose into things that have nothing to do with my official duties; I do not meddle in partisan politics,” he stresses.

LOOKING FORWARD

With his track record as public servant, Macapagal has at times been asked about the possibility of taking another crack at electoral politics. “Public service is in my blood,” he says, even as he underscores that politics “ is all about timing and being the right person for the moment.”

With this, Macapagal has chosen to focus on the gargantuan task at hand. “I think that currently, I am the right person for the resurrection of the railway system in the country. Now, in terms of elective or other appointive positions, when the right opportunity comes, I will seize the moment. Because serving our people, I think, is the greatest achievement that anyone can aspire for.” When that opportunity will come, Macapagal leaves to divine providence. “We can only pray that it will come true. But for now, I’m just concentrating on work and family, concentrating on fulfilling my duties. The time will come, I know, for me to do other things. Whether it’s in government service or not, I will leave it to God’s hands. Ano man ang mapuntahan ko sa hinaharap, ang mahalaga ay makatulong pa rin ako sa mamamayang Pilipino, (Wherever I may end up in in the future, what is important is that I will still be able to help the Filipino people),” Macapagal ends.