PSAC Urges Creation of Right-of-Way Office to Speed Up Infrastructure Projects

The Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) has recommended the creation of a dedicated Right-of-Way (ROW) Office under the Office of the President to address long-standing delays in land acquisition that hinder major infrastructure projects.

During a meeting with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on March 20, PSAC’s Infrastructure Sector, led by Sabin Aboitiz of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, pushed for the initiative to boost the Build Better More program.

ROW acquisition delays—often caused by legal disputes, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and inconsistent funding—are among the top reasons for project setbacks, the council emphasized.

President Marcos agreed on the urgency, saying, “We have to do something… this is the main reason why we are always delayed and incur added costs.”

The proposed ROW Office would work alongside various government agencies to expedite legal processes and allocate dedicated legal support to priority sectors like transportation, energy, water, and telecommunications.

To resolve funding gaps, PSAC also recommended allocating a portion of the Motor Vehicle Users Charge (MVUC) for ROW and reactivating multi-year budget allocations for continuous land acquisition funding. It also urged better coordination between the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the PPP Center for aligned ROW budget planning.

Marcos said he is open to reviewing the status of the pending Right-of-Way bill in the Senate to further support the initiative.