SM remains most viable location for common station – counsel

MANILA, Philippines - The lawyer for SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPHI) said the issue of the LRT 1- MRT 3 - MRT 7 common station should be focused on which location was ideal and technically studied and has been negotiated and approved in principle in 2007 by the government.

In a statement, SMPHI legal counsel Ryan San Juan said: “This is not an issue of who was offered first, but rather, what was thoroughly studied and deliberated on, formally approved and then subsequently confirmed through a signed legal agreement.”

The memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the government was finally concluded in 2009, after appropriate agencies, NEDA-ICC and DOTC have signed their approval.

He said that the project might have been offered as well to other parties, aside from SMPHI, prior to SMPHI’s MOA with DOTC and LRTA, but it was nonetheless finally given to SMPHI due to its ideal location.

 “Obviously the location was transferred to SM after thorough technical studies found that SM is the most logical, efficient and technically viable location for the common station,” San Juan said, adding that it was even backed by the approval made by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in 2009 which weighed on the two possible locations side by side before finally deciding on the SM location.

A comparative graphic of both locations (SM and Trinoma) also show that SM North Edsa site is the most logical and natural site where city rails intersect compared to Trinoma where only an LRT 1 station can be built with walkway and walkalator going to MRT3 and MRT7 serving as interconnector to make it appear as common station.