FIRST DISTRICT, Pampanga – “Pinapaabot ko ang aking malugod na pagbati kay Secretary Banoy Lopez, Asec. IC Calaguas, at sa buong pamunuan ng Department of Transportation at Office of the Solicitor General, sa matagumpay nilang pag-kumpleto sa pinakamalaking batch ng expropriation cases sa kasaysayan ng DOTr.”
Thus, said Congressman Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. following the DOTr’s conclusion of a three-day writeshop in Royce Hotel Clark, which saw 191 attendees and the finalization of 345 expropriation cases – the largest single batch processed in the history of the department.
On April 23, 2026, Lazatin filed House Resolution No. 953 congratulating the DOTr, headed by Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez, and Right-Of-Way Site Acquisition and Environment (ROWSAE), headed by Assistant Secretary Irish Calaguas, for the accelerated right-of-way acquisition for the Clark-Malolos Corridor for the North South Commuter Railway Project (NSCR) and Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).
According to Lopez, the partnership between the DOTr and OSG has expedited Right-of-Way and Site Acquisition for the ‘big ticket’ projects of the DOTr, which include NSCR and the MMSP.
Meanwhile, Calaguas noted the significance of the land parcels covered by the legal pleadings finalized in the writeshop.
“These are all crucial right-of-way parcels for NSCR and MMSP. To the men and women of OSG, please continue to be our partner in attaining 100 percent right-of-way for our rail projects,” Calaguas said.
“With substantial ROW, mapapabilis na ang konstruksyon ng train na kailangang-kailangan ng ating bansa,” Calaguas added.
“Maraming land parcels at residente din ang apektado ng NCSR project sa Unang Distrito, kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa DOTr sa kanilang mabilis at maayos na pag-proseso ng ROWSA dito sa ating distrito,” Lazatin said.
Lazatin currently serves as Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation.
Since March 2025, DOTr has recorded substantial progress in securing right-of-way for the NSCR North section, with acquisition rising sharply from 7.59 percent to 65.5 percent to date.
