Ilagan City Mayor Interested to Use Locally-made Hybrid Electric Road Train as Alternative Mass Transportation Mode
By: Eldina B. Pinca
The City of Ilagan is eyeing to adopt the Hybrid Electric Road Train (HERT) as their alternative mode of mass transportation.
In a virtual meeting held on June 29, 2021, Ilagan City Mayor Hon. Josemarie L. Diaz was impressed with the HERT and the positive impact that it will have on the city. Dr. Precila Delima, Executive Officer of the Isabela State University (ISU), presented the HERT and focused on how it will complement the city’s existing public transportation schemes. Dr. Delima highlighted in her presentation that as Ilagan City’s alternative mass transportation mode, the environment-friendly HERT will make the city more attractive to investors.
Mayor Diaz already expressed his wish to have two HERT units, each with three coaches, to be used as a mass transportation alternative in the city. The Mayor has also inquired about the manufacturing cost for the two units and the production time needed to complete the fabrication.
The HERT team's next meeting with Mayor Diaz is on July 7. Following the success of the June 29 virtual presentation of the HERT, the Mayor agreed to discuss the identification of the fabricators of the HERT coaches and the formulation of the Memorandum of Agreement with the HERT Consortium, led by Agricomp Machineries and Construction Corporation; DOST II; ISU; DOST-Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC); the LGU officials involved.
Ilagan City may be the second city to adopt the HERT. Cauayan City, also in the province of Isabela, adopted the Light HERT in early 2019. The Light HERT is now used to ferry commuters within the streets of Cauayan. At the height of the pandemic last year, the HERT was used to shuttle healthcare workers for free around the city.
The consortium and the people of Isabela province have been waiting for more positive developments about the HERT in Isabela. Now that the economy is slowly opening up, the fabrication of the HERT in the province will lead to more success stories for the local manufacturing industry and the province's economy.
