A total of 10,000 jobs will be created by the Philippine National Railways’ (PNR) Clark Phase 1 project once fully operational, according to Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade.
In a Facebook post, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said around 7,500 jobs have so far been created during the construction of the project, with 2,500 more expected to be created once the train service is operational.
He said he directed the DOTr and the project’s contractors to give job priority to former overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), now with 70 former OFWs at the Manila to Clark Railway Project and 200 former OFWs at the Sumitomo-Mitsui Corporation and Sta. Clara International Corporation.
He added that public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and conductors whose jobs are affected by the pandemic are also given priority in DOTr projects.
“Layunin nito na sila ay matulungan sa pagtustos sa pang-araw araw nilang pangangailangan, maging ng kanilang pamilya, kung saan hindi na nila kinakailangang lumayo pa o magtungo sa ibang bansa (This aims to help them sustain their daily needs and for their family, where they won’t need to go far or to other countries),” Tugade said.
The statement came after Tugade’s inspection of the PNR Balagtas and Calumpit stations of the PNR Clark Phase 1, where he announced that the project is now 46.68 percent complete.
“Sa oras din ‘ho na matapos ang segment na ito, na bahagi ng massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project, inaasahang bababa ang kasalukuyang 1 to 1.5 hours na travel time ng mga pasahero mula Tutuban, Manila hanggang Malolos, Bulacan sa 35 minuto na lamang (Once this segment is complete, as part of the NSCR project, we are expecting the current one to one and a half hour travel time from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan to be reduced to only 35 minutes),” Tugade said.
He said the train service will be capable of carrying 300,000 passengers per day.
The 38-kilometer PNR Clark Phase 1 and the NSCR are projects of the DOTr and the PNR that aim to connect Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon by train.
Source: Philippines News Agency
