The initiative seeks to make public transportation more efficient, accessible, and commuter-friendly, the transportation department noted.
On Tueaday, August 4, the completed feasibility study for the proposed Senate-DepEd Transit Oriented Development (SEED TOD) Project, also known as the Education City, was turned over to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Education (DepEd Philippines), in partnership with the British Embassy Manila.
The feasibility study, which started in November 2024, was funded by the United Kingdom Government through its Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme.,
Crossrail International, meanwhile, served as masterplanning consultant, while the Public-Private Partnership Center provided technical assistance.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is the project’s major landowner and co-grantor with the DOTr.
The proposed 13-hectare complex is located at the junction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) and Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) in Taguig.
There, public transport, government offices, commercial establishments, community facilities, and open spaces will be co-located in one area.
The SEED TOD project is set to host leading institutions while offering approximately 497,663 square meters of gross floor area for commercial, cultural, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) and community uses.
59% of the site is reserved for publicly accessible pedestrian space, featuring covered walkways and elevated high-walks positioned above 50-year flood levels.
Also, the feasibility study proposed a shorter NSCR and MMSP transfer route that will be reduced from 900 meters to 200 meters, which will cut transfer time by around 17 minutes.
Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development Teodorico Jose Delfin said, on behalf of Secretary Giovanni Lopez, the commuter-focused and pedestrian-centric policies are central to the department’s infrastructure vision.
“The SEED Project exemplifies what this looks like at ground level. In Taguig, a 13-hectare complex will demonstrate how education, residential and commercial spaces can co-exist around transit modes, creating an environment where students spend less time commuting and more time studying, where families have genuine mobility choices and where the city itself becomes more livable and sustainable.”
For DepEd, Undersecretary Mel John Versoza read the message of Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
“It is our commitment to create greener, more livable learning environment by integrating parks, open spaces, and urban greenery into our school communities, especially in highly urbanized areas like Metro Manila where public green spaces remain in short supply,” he said.
In 2025, Angara also personally shared: “Tinitiyak ng pagtutulungang ito na makikinabang nang direkta ang ating mga mag-aaral at guro mula sa isang well-planned, green, at safe environment na nakatutulong sa layunin ng pampublikong edukasyon.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said: “By strengthening links among rail, bus, walking, and cycling networks, this study has made substantial improvements in connectivity, including shorter interchange times between the two railway systems.”
British Ambassador to the Philippines Sarah Hulton OBE, meanwhile, stated: “For the UK, these projects align very closely with our broad objective of working in partnership with the Philippines to foster sustainable economic growth through high-quality infrastructure, stronger institutions, and deeper economic partnerships.”
