Yes, pour money into PNR

As a teacher and a continuing student of tourism, I fully agree with the contention of columnist Neal Cruz in “The gov’t has neglected the railroad” that money should be poured into the Philippine National Railways to revive it (Opinion, 8/29/14).

The PNR has a long history of efficiently serving the transportation needs of many people in Luzon at a cost affordable even to wage earners. And Congress deserves the gratitude of the people of Camarines Sur for renewing the PNR franchise.

With fresh and sufficient capital infusion, the PNR can address the growing need for mass transport by purchasing new locomotives and coaches and rehabilitating its old ones. With a revived PNR, the people will be afforded a cheap, safe, reliable and comfortable ride for long-distance land travel and faster movement of goods from one place to another. With a revived PNR, the need to decongest the main roads from north to south of Luzon can be addressed and will make land travel more comfortable, faster and less expensive.

We in Camarines Sur would warmly welcome the revival of the PNR as it will also help serve the development and promotion of tourism in our province and nearby provinces, which in turn will also help uplift the economic lives of our people. Thus, we join Cruz’s call for the government to save the PNR. And we hope President Aquino will heed this call.

—KRISTINE R. LIZARDO, MSHRM,
faculty member, tourism,
Ateneo de Naga University,
kristine_lizardo@yahoo.com