Railway System Pushed in Davao City

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ANTONIO L. COLINA IV, SUN STAR DAVAO

A RENOWNED urban planner Felino Palafox Jr., senior partner and founder of one of the country's biggest architectural firms Palafox Associates, is pushing for a railway transport system in Davao City that is seen to be the next urban center in the country.

In an interview with the Davao media at the Marco Polo Hotel Davao, he said that the city has a high "absorptive capacity" to accommodate big businesses who are expanding operations outside of Metro Manila.

He emphasized that the Davao's position as one of the premier urban centers of the country will put the city as a potential area for investments.

This means the city will experience an influx of investors who are looking for alternative areas to do business outside of the already congested Metro Manila, he said.

"We need to identify urban growth centers as counter magnets to the growth of Metro Manila. Davao has the highest development potential to absorb this future growth," he said.

He cited Tokyo, Japan as example of a progressive city with a good transit system.

"At least 80 percent of the population in Tokyo ride the train," he said.

"There are 20 kinds of transport system. Unfortunately, our transportation in the country is obsolete, it's still before the Opec oil crisis in 1973. The transport policy was more vehicles per lane per hour. After the OPEC oil crisis, more people more passengers per lane per hour, so it favors the higher capacity vehicle which is public transit," he said.

In an earlier interview with National Economic Development Authority (Neda) in Davao Region director Maria Lourdes D. Lim said there have been studies conducted on the railway system but another study has to be conducted yet again because there might have been changes in the requirements of the city and the Mindanao in an effort to increase the urban centers' competitiveness.

She also added that agency is planning to coordinate with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) for a study that will include the city's traffic situation and its other development aspects.

Palafox said that an increase in the population should be expected in the city because it has a high absorptive capacity that will receive more developments that the Metro Manila can no longer cater to.

"Davao is three times the size of Singapore, Davao has a good example of good governance and leadership. I am supporting federal form of government to balance the growth. For me, development is not worthy by name unless spread evenly like butter on a piece of bread," he added.

He urged the government to identify more growth centers to maintain the balance of growth and development across the country.

"It's really identifying growth centers as counter magnets to the attractiveness of Metro Manila as the center of government, education, religion, culture, business, trade and commerce," he said.

If a strong quake, or what is known as the "Big One" with a 7.2 magnitude, hits the Metro Manila, it will take 10 years for the Philippine's capital to recover.