The Iloilo City government welcomed the proposed revival of the Panay Railway but recommended its establishment outside of the metropolis.

“I believe that railway will help in the transportation and movement of goods and persons but my worry is the families that are here in the city,” said Mayor Jerry P. Treñas in a press conference on Monday.

Based on the previous count of Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO) head Roy Firmeza, he said there are around 1,000 to 1,500 houses that need to be relocated should the project pushes through.

The mayor said those that will be affected are not informal settlers but mostly renting.

Although relocating the affected households is the responsibility of the railway and not of the city government, yet the task would entail a big budget.

“I will suggest that if the railway will be pushed through, it will be outside of the city. By doing that we avoid displacing a lot of people,” he said, adding that the city already has a good road network.

President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25 mentioned the integration of railway system, to include the Panay Railway Project, as vital part of the country’s transport and communications system. (PNA)