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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is looking to India for technical support and collaboration on three key railway projects in the Philippines
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Marcos met with representatives of Rail India Technical and Economic Service Ltd. on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi
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RITES is exploring possible participation in the three railway projects and could provide technical expertise and railway development experience
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RITES could participate as a consultant or through a public-private partnership and help the Philippines explore official development assistance
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Marcos also met Indian Space Research Organisation officials to discuss cooperation with the Philippine Space Agency on launching a satellite to support communications, weather forecasting, defense and security
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Marcos also met with the GMR Group and Cavitex Holdings on the planned Sangley Point International Airport
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is looking to India for technical support and collaboration on three key railway projects in the Philippines: the Mindanao Railway, Cebu Mass Transit and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Long Haul.
On the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, Marcos met with representatives of Rail India Technical and Economic Service Ltd. (RITES), which expressed interest in participating in the projects.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Acting Secretary Dave Gomez said RITES is considering the Mindanao Railway Project in the south, a mass rail system in Cebu, and the extension of the PNR system into PNR Bicol.
RITES could participate as a consultant or through a public-private partnership (PPP), while also helping the Philippines explore official development assistance (ODA), Gomez said.
“They will look into them, and we will study them,” he said after the meeting.
RITES, a Government of India Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, provides consultancy services in transport, infrastructure and related technologies. It has projects in more than 55 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
The three Philippine projects cited are among the government’s major rail infrastructure initiatives.
Space technology
Separately, Marcos met with officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to discuss cooperation with the Philippine Space Agency, particularly to support the Philippines’ long-term goal of launching its own satellite.
Gomez said India could share its technical expertise and experience as the Philippines works to strengthen its space technology capabilities.
ISRO is India’s space agency responsible for developing space technology and its applications in communications, meteorological services, resource monitoring and space-based navigation.
Marcos was also scheduled to meet with three Indian companies to discuss potential investments and job opportunities in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, a separate announcement from the Presidential Communications Office said Marcos also held a meeting with India’s GMR Group and Cavitex Holdings on the planned Sangley Point International Airport.
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