PNR gets Defensor

It’s either President Gloria Arroyo is serious about rebuilding the Philippine National Railways (PNR) or she is reactivating the political career of a trusted lieutenant. She has appointed former Secretary Mike Defensor, PNR acting chairman.

The President is said to have been pleased with Defensor’s role in the partial opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, a major aviation facility that took the government more than a decades to build and inaugurate. The terminal still has many defects. Despite Defensor’s assessment that it has become an A1 facility, a part of the ceiling fell. Still, if the former congressman can oversee with some success the launching of the terminal, he could rebuild the national railway that has continued to deteriorate in the past 50 years.

Why Defensor? He is a man of many talents, according to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who announced his appointment the other day. He has served as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and presidential chief of staff before he ran for, and lost, in the 2007 senatorial race.

Acting or not, Defensor faces a tough job if he is serious about his work and determined to prove his worth. The original national railway was built during the Spanish rule, modernized by the Americans in the Commonwealth period and served the country well during the Japanese occupation of the islands.

The PNR started to decline in the 1960s. Several administrations failed to appreciate the system and to give it support. Past Congresses were not helpful either. Union politics and labor-management disputes contributed to its decay.

The national railways used to link Manila to La Union in the north and Manila to Albay in the south. Currently, travel is restricted to Caloocan up north although the Manila-Albay line continues, but not on a regular basis. The old service was fast, comfortable and generally safe. Most travelers preferred the train to the bus for speed, convenience and freedom of movement while on board the coach.

Most developed countries acknowledge their growth to the pioneering iron horses. Developing countries take pride in their train service. The train does not only carry human cargo, goods and animals. It helps unite a people. It’s the best alternative to road transportation.

Decaying coaches carry passengers these days. The tracks are rotting and often spirited away by thieves. Squatters have built shanties along the tracks. They are a threat to public safety. Many throw waste at passing trains. Accidents are commonplace.

Defensor (and his successors) must buy new coaches, rebuild the tracks and help expedite completion of the NorthRail and SouthRail expansion lines. Resettlement of the squatters must continue at a more vigorous pace. The modernization of the PNR, like the automation of elections, is one of the unfinished tasks of the administration.

President Arroyo needs more than a new chairman to overhaul the national railway. She must lobby the Congress to appropriate money for the PNR. She needs the help of the local governments to stop theft and ensure safety of travel. Modernization will not be completed by 2010, but she could initiate a good beginning and a breakthrough in mass transportation with a good chair and congressional support.