Sec. Tugade: Kahit na may kaunting sigalot sa Marawi, life must go on. This should not stop us in making our economy grow and prosper. #DOTr pic.twitter.com/0cTTClo3HV

— DOTr (@DOTr_PH) May 30, 2017

MANILA - The government on Tuesday broke ground on the Light Rail Transit Line 2 extension to Masinag, Antipolo, targeting completion by August next year.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade appealed to local government officials to expedite the grant of construction permits.

Tugade also stressed the importance of pushing through with infrastructure projects even as security forces battle Maute extremists in the south.

The LRT-2 is one of three elevated railways in the capital. It connects Recto in downtown Manila to Santolan in Pasig. Extending the line to Antipolo will make access easier for commuters from the Rizal suburbs.

President Rodrigo Duterte has set an ambitious P8-trillion plan to build new roads, railways, bridges and airports dubbed "Dutertenomics."

Groundbreaking ceremony of the LRT2 Masinag extension https://t.co/AcbUe8RZnd

— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) May 30, 2017