MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte has formed a body that would handle research efforts and build capacities of personnel in the railway sector.

Duterte signed on Nov. 21 Executive Order No. 96 creating the Philippine Railways Institute (PRI), which will serve as a research and training center under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

"There is an urgent need to develop the human resource capacities of railway personnel to ensure their availability and competence and guarantee their compliance with generally accepted standards of practice, as well as the rules and regulations pertaining to the safety, operation, and maintenance of railways," the President said in the order released Thursday.

Under Duterte's order, the PRI will handle the planning, implementation, and regulation of development efforts for personnel in the railway sector.

It shall be headed by an executive director with a rank of undersecretary, who must have a master's degree in a related field and experience in handling transportation capacity development programs.

Among the responsibilities of the PRI are:

• Formulate and recommend guidelines for railway personnel as well as promote safety in train operations.
• Establish a comprehensive human resource development program for railway personnel.
• Coordinate with relevant education agencies on railway-related research to ensure the competency of personnel in the sector.
• Prescribe rules for the issuance of competency certificates of railway personnel.
• Assist in law enforcement in the field of human resources development for the railway sector.
• Collect fees for certificates, accreditations, training, and services administered.
• Accept, through the transportation department, donations and assistance.

The initial budget of the PRI will come from the DOTr funding, Duterte's order stated.

Read the full executive order here:

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