The Philippines is setting its sights on major upgrades to its transport infrastructure and space capabilities through a new series of high-level partnerships with India. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met with key Indian agencies on Saturday on the sidelines of the 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi to explore cross-border cooperation on three major domestic railway developments and the eventual launch of the Philippines’ first owned satellite.
The Marcos administration is pursuing technical and financial collaboration with Rail India Technical and Economic Service Ltd. (RITES), an infrastructure consultancy operating under India’s Ministry of Railways. Following bilateral discussions at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Acting Secretary Dave Gomez confirmed that RITES is evaluating three priority rail initiatives, starting with the Mindanao Railway Project as the primary target for technical evaluation. It is also assessing a proposed mass transit rail system for Metro Cebu, as well as an extension of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) infrastructure moving outward from the Tutuban terminal in Manila.
According to Gomez, RITES may enter these projects through consultative roles, public-private partnership (PPP) frameworks or by facilitating Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding routes.
“Ang unang-unang priority is the Mindanao Rail System. So titingnan nila ‘yun at pag-aaralan natin. Susunod ‘yung mass rail system sa Cebu… And the third na papasukin nila, ‘yung extension ng PNR sa Tutuban. So ‘yung tatlong areas na ‘yun sa rail system,” Gomez said.
In a separate session, President Marcos met with leaders from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to establish a collaborative link with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).
The collaboration aims to leverage India’s spaceflight experience to support the Philippines’ ambition to deploy its own satellite.
Gomez emphasized the multi-sectoral necessity of an independent orbital platform, “importante talaga na magkaroon din tayo ng sarili nating satellite dahil maraming gamit, maraming tulong ‘yan from communications to weather forecasting because of climate change, kailangan natin ‘yan, to defense and security… So talaga ‘yun ang aspiration ng administrasyong Marcos to eventually launch our satellite. So tutulungan nila tayo.”
Prior to the transit and space talks, the President held discussions with the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) to address climate-risk mitigation and reinforce domestic infrastructure against extreme weather events.
President Marcos is attending the summit in New Delhi upon the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, representing the Philippines in his capacity as the 2026 Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Further meetings with Indian private sector leaders are scheduled to target direct foreign investment and job creation.
The Philippine delegation joining the President during the talks included Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Finance Acting Secretary Frederick Go, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, PhilSA Director General Dr. Gay Jane Perez and Philippine Ambassador to India Josel F. Ignacio.