Pampanga: At least 43 landowners in Pampanga have agreed to share their property with the government for the construction of the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) railway project, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) reported. According to Philippines News Agency, 68 Transfer Certificate of Titles (TCTs) were recently distributed to landowners from the towns of Porac and Floridablanca, whose properties would be affected by the railway project. This distribution is part of the government's efforts to meet the right-of-way requirements, resulting in a reduction in the size of the landholdings for those affected. The TCTs issued represent the portions of land retained by the landowners, while the affected areas have been transferred to the BCDA. During a turnover ceremony, BCDA officer in charge Senior Vice President Richard Brian Cepe highlighted the importance of the landowners' cooperation, which he noted would expedite the project's completion. "One of the biggest challenges faced by the government is securing what we call the right-of-way, so your willingness to make sacrifices and cooperate has been a tremendous help in ensuring the swift completion of this project," Cepe stated in Filipino, addressing the landowners. The BCDA also emphasized that the landowners were compensated through negotiations and not via expropriation. The SCMB is a cargo railway connecting Subic, Zambales, and Batangas provinces and is a flagship project of the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC). The LEC initiative emerged from a trilateral meeting held last April between the Philippines, United States, and Japan in Washington D.C. This ambitious project is set to be funded by the USD600-billion Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) of the G7 countries, which includes contributions from both the US and Japan.