RDC 11 chair Jubahib open to possible Japanese funding for Mindanao Railway

Regional officials would welcome Japanese funding for the long-delayed Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) if it helps speed up construction, Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib said, according to Edge Davao.

Jubahib, who chairs the Regional Development Council 11 (RDC 11), spoke on Tuesday during the Mindanao Development Forum 2026 in Davao City. He said Japan is the country he knows to have shown interest in backing the project, but stressed that no funding agreement or commitment has been finalised and that the next steps remain unclear.

In September, Japanese Consul General in Davao Ono Hirotaka said Japan was open to studying possible funding assistance for the railway if the Philippine government formally asks for it. He made the remarks at the Japan-Philippines Friendship Kadayawan Matsuri Night in Davao City.

Jubahib said discussions involving Japan have included Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, and that regional officials would back whichever financing proposal moves forward first, whether from Japan or other countries. "Lahat tayo payag kasi para sa atin ito sa Mindanao," he said, explaining that everyone agrees because the project is for Mindanao.

For now, he said, the national government's funding efforts are focused on continuing the feasibility study and acquiring land. A comprehensive offer from Japan, he added, could serve as another financing option for the multibillion-peso project.

Separately, RDC 11 officials and Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Leo Tereso Magno are pushing for funds to continue the feasibility study, which covers four railway segments, to be included in the 2027 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Jubahib said the allocation appears in the House-approved version of the proposed 2027 budget, but its inclusion in the final GAA has yet to be confirmed.

Officials are aiming for 2028 as the start of proper budget implementation for the railway. Among the proposed priorities are the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment in southeastern Mindanao and a northern link from Cagayan de Oro to Misamis Occidental. Jubahib said pursuing both would help spread railway development across the island rather than concentrating it in one area.