NEWSFLASH

Manila, August 6, 2000 - President Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada wants the Light Rail Transit (LRT) loop system completed to serve residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces before his term ends in 2004.

Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said this is why the government is rushing the privatization of the entire LRT system so that it can fully serve commuters in Metro Manila.

He said under the present plans, Metro Manila will have a running commuter system that will cover most of the metropolis and nearby provinces by the time the President leaves office in 2004.

Zamora added that the recent LRT strike notwithstanding, the government still wants the entire LRT system, including the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) line, to be operated privately.

The government decided last month not to renew the contract of Metro Inc., the private operator of LRT-1 whose operation of the LRT was marred by a wildcat strike late last month.

Zamora said the LRT system, once completed, would run from Balintawak in Kalookan City to Quezon City, Makati, Pasay City and Manila, and eventually to Cavite in the South.

Only last July, the President inaugurated the linkup of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) from Buendia in Makati City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City.

Zamora said the government is now concentrating on bidding out the operations and maintenance of the entire LRT system to interested parties.

He said Metro Inc. can still join the bidding process, despite last month’s strike.

Zamora said the present LRT-1 links Monumento in Kalookan City to Baclaran in Pasay City, while MRT-3 connects North Triangle in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City.

Only five kilometers between North Triangle and Balintawak remain to be built, and construction will soon start for the LRT-1’s extension all the way to Cavite, Zamora said.