DAVAO CITY – After the national government announced it would no longer pursue loan negotiations with the Chinese government for the Mindanao Railway Project, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Leo Tereso Magno said that there are three foreign private companies that are interested in constructing the project. MAGNO (MinDA FB) Magno said that two firms from South Korea and one from Japan have expressed interest in pursuing the project. He said that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is working on the new “technical description” as the national government wants to pursue a more modern technology that will utilize electricity, instead of diesel under the previous proposal.
Magno said DOTr also wants to build a railway project that would cater to both cargoes and passengers to help move produce from different farms to boost the agricultural sector of Mindanao. He said that the proposed railway system under the administration of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte could only carry passengers.
Magno said the DOTr is working on terms of reference to proceed with the new feasibility study. In a letter dated July 12 to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
, Kim Dong Man, chairman of Mindanao Oriental Rail Technology, expressed his firm’s interest in the design and construction of the project. He said his team from the Mindanao Oriental Rail Technology consortium conducted an inspection of all the possible Mindanao routes, including nearby major economic hubs an.