Taguig subway deal awarded to DMCI, partner

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s first subway project hurdled another obstacle after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) awarded the contract to build the segment leading to Taguig City.

In a document obtained by The STAR, the DOTr issued the notice of award for Contract Package (CP) 105 for the Metro Manila Subway Project or MMSP to the joint venture of D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI) and Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd., marking another subway deal won by the duo.

Based on the notice of award, the DMCI-Nishimatsu joint venture will be paid a total of P21.73 billion (about $52.17 million or 3.96 billion Japanese yen). The sum is exclusive of 12 percent in value-added tax.

The award, dated Oct. 29, mandates DMCI and Nishimatsu to proceed with the project by furnishing the performance security in 28 days. The award was addressed to Keiji Matsushita, who represents the joint venture.

This is the first time since 2022 that the DOTr awarded a new contract for the MMSP, a delay that pushed the project’s completion by at least three years.

CP 105 covers the subway infrastructure in Taguig City, composed of a 0.66-kilometer tunnel, a 242.2-meter station in Kalayaan and a 436.05-meter station in Bonifacio Global City.

As reported by DMCI to its investors, CP 105 may take at least 67 months, or six years and five months, to be completed.

With the award, the DOTr is still left with two CPs to issue to contractors: CP 108, which is the Lawton to Senate segment and CP 109 or the airport line.

The agency aims to award all of the contracts within the year to stay within the new deadline for completing MMSP by 2032.

For the tandem of DMCI and Nishimatsu, CP 105 marks the second deal it has bagged in the MMSP. The two also won CP 102 (East Avenue and Quezon Avenue segment) in 2022.

The MMSP, the country’s first underground rail, spans 33 kilometers across 17 stations between Valenzuela City and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Once completed, it is expected to cut end-to-end travel time to only 35 minutes.

Originally, the MMSP was planned to partially operate by 2028, but it faced right-of-way delays in several sections, pushing the completion to 2032.