INTERVIEW ON FOOT TRAFFIC FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MRT-LRT COMMON STATION
AMBUSH INTERVIEW |SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Brief Summary:

• Senator Win strongly believes that foot traffic is an asset of the government and can generate potential income.

• Senator Win suggests that the foot traffic must be bid out for the government to generate income in the common station project.

• Senator Win is convinced that the design presented in the hearing was the best design because of the area's big accommodation space.

• Senator Win regret that the government will not be able to generate income in the said project despite the fact that the foot traffic which was created by the government will be the one to generate income.

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Sen. Win: In many jurisdictions, the foot traffic is really the asset of the government. Depende kung ano yung benchmark, but definitely we lost.

Q: The regret is proportional to the size of the---posible bang billions yan in a year? Or hundreds of millions in a year? Roughly magkano kaya sir?

Sen. Win: Roughly, minimun sabihin na nating piso. 500,000/day. In one hundred days, that's 50 million. In one year, that's close to sabihin na nating 170 million a year at piso. Piso lang yun. That foot traffic is to be generated there, if you charge one peso it's close to 170 million a year.

Q: That is off the cuff na piso di ba?

Sen. Win: Yes. Off the cuff na piso lang. Ang ginagawa naman ng iba, ang SM halimbawa nagset-up ka don ng bilihan ng hotdog, they charge 3% or 2% of gross because of the foot traffic. That foot traffic is government-generated.

Q: Anong structure ang in-agree doon?

Sen. Win: Dalawa kasi yun eh. Yung sa EDSA which is LRT-MRT and MRT 7. So yung foot traffic in between, that's generated by government. Without government project, that foot traffic will never happen. Therefore, that is government's.

Q: Ano yun? Bakit hindi nila naisip to?

Sen. Win: Siguro hindi rin nila masyadong kabisado ang business side. Syempre tayo ay bureaucratic. Syempre tayo ang background natin ay business.

Q: Anong structures ang ilalagay natin sa business area?

Sen. Win: From what I understand, they're going to put a mall in between.

Q: San nyo kukunin yung one thousand?

Sen. Win: It's just a rough estimate. Rough estimate lang yung piso. Minimum is piso, definitely it can be more. 100% more.

Q: Ang point boss is there are many mechanisms, yung sa SMN percentage of the off sales, depende. Whichever mechanism, dapat kumita yung gobyerno dyan.

Sen. Win: Kaya nga. Minimum is 170. P1 x 500 x 365 days.

Q: Regarding lang doon sa proposal sa foot traffic. Ano yong suggestions nyo po?

Sen. Win: Well, pwede yang I bid out. In some jurisdictions, they bid out the foot traffic. It will generate 500,000/day. Mag-bid kayo kung magkano nyo gusto bilhin yan. In other jurisdictions, like I said, is an asset of the government. We created that. Government created that. Therefore, if you want to take advantage of that. You have to somehow compensate the government.

Q: Sir, are you convinced that what they presented was the best design?

Sen. Win: For me, yes. I'm convinced. First, the area is big enough to accommodate multiple trucks. It has future expansion potential but at the same time, I think government would have earned more. Rough estimate nag namin umabot sa 170 million a year so that could have paid off.

Q: Do you think they justified the doubling of foot projects?

Sen. Win: 8 years delay plus inflation, 1.5. Pwede, possible.

Q: Mahahabol pa ba sa NEDA yung foot traffic---?

Sen. Win: I think, mahahabol pa sa NEDA, pwede pa. They have to negotiate lang.

Q: Who will negotiate?

Sen. Win: The government.

Q: Bukod doon sa nakikita nyong 200 million, ano pa yung nakikita nyong anomaly doon sa naging bill na pinasok ng DOTR with the SM Group?

Sen. Win: Ako, nahihinayang lang ako dahil ang foot traffic nga ang mag-gegenerate dito sa project na ito ay wala tayong nakuha as government, pinamigay lang natin to ng libre. Sa ibang bansa, ito ay pinag-aawayan. Dito sa atin, half a million, 500,000 that will be generated a day at sayang. Potentially, nasa 170 million a year ang pwede nating makuha dyan.

Q: So dalawang malls na yung 500,000?

Sen. Win: Yes, dalawang malls.

Q: Ano po ba dapat ang magagawa nyo?

Sen. Win: In other jurisdictions, for example may foot traffic na na-generate ang gobyerno, binibenta yan dahil ang foot traffic na yan, potential revenue yan for the mall. Kung bumili sila ng pagkain, kung magshopping sila, potential revenue yan. But we have to remember, yung foot traffic hindi naman mangyayari yan kung hindi ginawa ng gobyerno. Kumbaga, nang dahil sa gobyerno, nagkaroon ng foot traffic that's why we own the foot traffic.

Q: Sino yung nakikita ninyong liable para ditto?

Sen. Win: Wala naming liable. I think we should negotiate better. Government should negotiate better. Tingnan itong anggulo na ito dahil pwede nating pagkakitaan at magagamit pa natin yan para mapababaan yung fares.

Q: So you're saying na may magagawa pa?

Sen. Win: I think kaya pang habulin.

Q: Sir yung sinabi nyong 200 billion na naka-stage tayo dun, ano pong nakikita nyong negotiation?

Sen. Win: From what I understand, 2009 pa yan. I think that's DOTC that defunct DOTC. Nakakalaungkot dahil from 200 million, na-hostage kung saan nilalagay yung common station. 8 years na nagdusa ang commuters natin, at ngayon, dahil sa pag-aaway ng malalaking korporasyon, nakalimutan ang mga commuters natin. Hopefully, malaman natin kung ano ba talaga ang nangyari para hindi na maulit.

Q: Pero they see naman na it's the best option pa rin naman talaga even without the option.

Sen. Win: Kung the best pala yung 2001, bakit umabot pa ng 8 years to decide? And we all know that the TRO, almost 2 years rin yon so na-delay rin. Again, we don't want to make our commuters suffer dapat nang 2009 nagdesisyon na regarding common station para guminhawa na buhay ng mga commuters natin. I think we could have negotiated better. This is something that is a potential revenue. Ang kutob ko lang, the negotiators also see this as a potential revenue.

Q: Mga estimated magkano?

Sen. Win: Ang estimate naming kanina nasa 170 million from piso. Tingnan mo, kung 500,000 a day at one peso, that's 500,000 x 100 days x 300 days that's roughly 150 million. So more or less 170 million a year. At piso lang per passenger. Kung two peso, edi double, kung three peso? Di ba?

Q: Sir, doon sa design na original na parang isa lang yung linya, tatlong linya. Dito sa last design nila parang hiwalay, so diba disadvantage yun?

Sen. Win: I'm not technically capable eh.

Q: Kasi parang gagawa silang underground eh para doon lilipat. Or like doon sa original design, isa lang yung lugar pero tatlong lines. MRT, LRT, MRT 7.

Sen. Win: Hindi na-present kanina ang design. Yung mobility lang ng passengers. We can ask Senator Grace Poe to review the design. Ang puno't dulo naman ay ayaw natin na inconvenient ang passengers. We can review the technical design.

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