President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday ordered the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to secure the broadband co-sharing partnership with Smart Communications, Inc. for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project.

In a meeting with the Regional Development Council III in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, President Marcos underscored the need for a dialogue with Smart Communications’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Manny V. Pangilinan to resolve the problem of broadband frequency for the NSCR signaling system.

“It’s been left hanging for quite a while and knowing SMART and Manny, nakakausap naman natin [sila]. We’ll just find a way to it,” President Marcos told DOTr officials.

“Nakikiusap tayo sa SMART na kahit na kaunting broadband ipamigay nila, ibalik nila sa atin para magamit ng commuter railway,” the President added.

DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon reported they talked with Pangilinan and Smart. He said securing the signaling system is at the top of their agenda.

“This was the top item on the agenda and based on my initial talks with Smart, I think we can come to a quick resolution to this,” Dizon said.

The NSCR is a 147-kilometer mass transit system that connects Clark, Pampanga, to Calamba, Laguna. Once completed in 2026, it is expected to serve up to 800,000 passengers daily and cut travel time from Pampanga to Laguna to less than two hours. | PND