Caloocan City is unique among all 17 local government units in Metro Manila: it is the only city physically divided into two separate and unconnected halves—North and South Caloocan—with no direct public transit link between them.
Caloocan City Administrator Aurora Ciego this gap, which has constrained the city’s development for decades, could finally be closed by the the proposed Metro Rail Transit Line 11 (MRT-11).
Ciego explained this in an interview on DZRH News program The Situation Report on Monday, September 21, describing the MRT-11 as one of the most exciting near-term infrastructure prospects for a city whose two halves have long functioned almost as separate communities.
The Caloocan City official said North Caloocan, home to approximately one million residents compared to South Caloocan’s roughly 500,000, is where most of the city’s newer development is taking place, with SM malls in Sangandaan, Monumento, and Bagumbong serving as economic anchors and the Pangarap area now being developed by Ayala.
“Especially in District 1 and District 3. There’s still a lot of vast lands,” Ciego said, describing the development potential that remains in North Caloocan as the area gains infrastructure and private sector investment.
Ciego said the only practical connection between North and South Caloocan at present runs through the NLEX, a toll road not accessible to most commuters — making the daily movement of people and goods between the city’s two halves far more difficult than it should be for a city of Caloocan’s size and population.
The MRT-11, which is pending with the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), would provide a direct rail link within Caloocan City, unlocking mobility for residents who currently have no affordable way to travel between the city’s two halves without going through an external road network.
Ciego said the MRT-11, combined with the transit-oriented development being planned around the NSCR station in Sangandaan and the Amparo station of MRT-7, positions Caloocan for a development trajectory that was not possible when the city lacked the transit infrastructure to support it.
