JV Ejercito: Railways, agri-food terminals to speed up transport of agri goods
March 28, 2023
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said
expanding the country’s railway system will make it easier for farmers to bring
agricultural goods from their farms to strategic markets.
Ejercito explained that railways can reduce
the dependency of farms on trucks by cutting down the time and costs needed for
agricultural goods to reach the country’s urban centers.
“Isa sa mga pinakamabigat na cost (para sa mga
magsasaka) ay yung transport. So, hopefully, pagnakariles na ‘yan, malaki ang
ibababa ng cost of production ng ating agricultural sector at magiging
competitive na tayo,” he said.
“Pag sinakay mo ‘yan sa tren, tuloy-tuloy na
‘yan. Ngayon po, sinasakay sa truck. Yung truck, ang dami ng dadaanan. Bawat
isa, may checkpoint. Bawat barangay, bawat bayan, may checkpoint. May toll,” he
added.
Moreover, Ejercito said agri-food terminals,
commercial centers, and industrial parks can be linked to these railways to
facilitate a more efficient management and distribution of local agricultural
goods.
He recently filed Senate Bill No. 165, which
seeks to establish agri-food terminals and trade centers near train stations,
bus terminals, ports, and other transport hubs.
“Sa bawat dadaanan ng riles ng tren, ang bawat
probinsya ay magkakaroon ng commercial areas. Automatic ‘yan. Magkakaroon ng
industrial parks. Tapos, housing. At kasama rin diyan yung mga food terminals,”
he said.
Aside from improving the transport of
agricultural goods, Ejercito said delegating the transport of agricultural
goods to trains will lessen the release of pollutants into the
environment.
“Yung tren, iisa ang makina, lampas isang daan
ang hinihila. Ito, bawat truck, isang makina. Environmentally safe na, mas
makakatipid pa tayo sa pagtransport ng agricultural products,” he said.
Given the vast economic benefits that can be
reaped from the expansion of the country’s railway systems, the lawmaker from
San Juan said transportation modernization will be one of the key areas of
development to be prioritized in his proposed master plan for infrastructure.
In July, Ejercito filed Senate Bill No. 158,
which seeks to create and institutionalize a Comprehensive Infrastructure
Development Master Plan.
The said plan, which will be drafted by the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and monitored by a Joint
Congressional Oversight Committee, would cover several areas of development:
transportation and logistics, energy, water resources, information and
communications technology, social infrastructure, agri-fisheries modernization
and food logistics, and asset preservation and maintenance strategies.
