$3.5-billion Makati subway project needs rework after Supreme Court ruling on land dispute

MANILA, Philippines – The ambitious $3.5-billion (P199-billion) Makati City Subway project will need to be reworked after the Supreme Court ruled that Fort Bonifacio and the Enlisted Men’s Barrios (EMBOs) are part of Taguig City.

On Tuesday, September 5, the project’s private proponent Philippine Infradev Holdings Incorporated said the “alignment of the subway will no longer be feasible.”

“The depot and a few stations of the Makati City subway system will be in the affected areas,” it added.

In December 2018, Makati City signed a memorandum of agreement with Philippine Infradev Holdings for the rail project. It also bagged an additional $332 million in funding from two Chinese firms for its initial construction in 2019.

This is supposed to be the first subway in the country which was projected to be completed in 2025.

Makati Mayor Abby Binay previously said that the subway system with 10 stations would connect key areas in Makati. It was projected to serve 54,000 per hour in both directions.

The proposed stations are in the Central Business District at the corner of Ayala Avenue, Makati City Central Fire Station, Manila South Cemetery, Circuit City, Makati City Hall, Rockwell, Guadalupe Bridge, University of Makati (UMak), Ospital ng Makati (OsMak).

The UMak is located in West Rembo, while OsMak is situated in Barangay Pembo. These villages are among the 10 EMBO barangays that are now under Taguig’s jurisdiction.

Rappler asked the Makati City government for comment on this development but it has yet to respond as of posting. – Rappler.com

$1 = P56.91 (as of September 6, 2023)